Standard Lemma guide

lumbar

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: lŭmʹbä
  • UK: /ˈlʌm.bɑː/
  • General-American: lŭmʹbär
  • General-American: lŭmʹbər
  • General-American: /ˈlʌm.bɑɹ/
  • General-American: /ˈlʌm.bɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: lumber (one pronunciation)
  • rhymes with -ʌmbɑː(ɹ)
  • rhymes with -ʌmbə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: L AH1 M B AA2 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Related to the lower back or loin, specifically the five vertebrae between the rib cage and the pelvis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lumbal

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The lumbar region.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: low back, lower back, small of the back

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A lumbar vertebra.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

of or relating to or near the part of the back between the ribs and the hipbones

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • lumbar vertebrae

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin lumbāris, from lumbus (“loin”) + -āris. See loin.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: قَطَنِيّ (qaṭaniyy) — related to the lower back or loin
  • Armenian: գոտկատեղի (gotkateġi) — related to the lower back or loin
  • Bulgarian: поясен (pojasen) — related to the lower back or loin
  • Bulgarian: на кръста (na krǎsta) — related to the lower back or loin
  • Catalan: lumbar — related to the lower back or loin
  • Czech: bederní — related to the lower back or loin
  • Finnish: lanne- — related to the lower back or loin
  • French: lombaire — related to the lower back or loin
  • Galician: lumbar — related to the lower back or loin
  • German: lumbal — related to the lower back or loin
  • German: Lenden- — related to the lower back or loin
  • German: Lumbal- — related to the lower back or loin
  • Icelandic: lendar- — related to the lower back or loin
  • Irish: lumbach — related to the lower back or loin
  • Italian: lombare — related to the lower back or loin
  • Polish: lędźwiowy — related to the lower back or loin
  • Portuguese: lombar — related to the lower back or loin
  • Russian: поясничный (pojasničnyj) — related to the lower back or loin
  • Spanish: lumbar — related to the lower back or loin
  • Spanish: lomoso — related to the lower back or loin
  • Tagalog: sasapnin — related to the lower back or loin
  • Turkish: lumbar — related to the lower back or loin
  • Welsh: llyfenol — related to the lower back or loin
  • Welsh: meingefnol — related to the lower back or loin