Standard Lemma guide

piriformis

noun · 1 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

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌpɪ.ɹɪˈfɔː.mɪs/
  • General-American: /ˌpɪɹ.əˈfɔɹ.mɪs/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A gluteal muscle which arises from the front of the sacrum and the ischium or sacrotuberous ligament, passes out of the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen, and inserts into the greater trochanter of the femur, serving in humans to rotate the thigh laterally.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences, zoology, zootomy

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from New Latin pirifōrmis, ellipsis of mūsculus pirifōrmis (“pear-shaped muscle”). Doublet of piriform.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 梨狀肌 /梨状肌 (lízhuàngjī) — muscle that rotates the thigh laterally
  • Japanese: 梨状筋 (rijōkin) — muscle that rotates the thigh laterally