Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An abnormal forward curvature of the spine in the lumbar region.
  • noun The mating posture displayed by female rodents and certain other mammals, in which the back is arched downward and the hindquarters are raised.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In pathology
  • noun Abnormal curvature of the spinal column, with the convexity toward the front, in distinction from kyphosis, in which the convexity is toward the back, and from scoliosis, or lateral curvature.
  • noun Any abnormal curvature of the bones.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A curvature of the spine forwards, usually in the lumbar region.
  • noun Any abnormal curvature of the bones.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun pathology An excessive curvature of the spine, causing a hollow in the back.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an abnormal inward (forward) curvature of the vertebral column

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek lordōsis, from lordos, bent backward.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word lordosis.

Examples

  • Once female pigs catch a whiff of androstenone they immediately assume a posture called lordosis, replete with a curved back and wiggly haunches.

    Smell Test 2007

  • The queen will signal her willingness to mate with a unique posture: head down, forelegs bent, rear quarters raised to expose the vulva (this raised posture is called lordosis), with the tail raised and held to the side of the body, all designed to accomodate entry by the tom cat's penis.

    www.hardwarezone.com.sg 2009

  • However if they get any larger or even much larger they cause lordosis and chiphosis of the upper and lower spine, shoulder ache, headaches and rib stress.

    Simply the Breast juliette 2009

  • Chronic use of heels can result -- and usually does -- in some degree of kyphosis-lordosis and related pains in the lower back and mid-upper back.

    Tim Ferriss: The Barefoot Alternative: Vibram Five Fingers Shoes 2009

  • I wish Bush would just let Steve Clemons blow him a couple times and then maybe he could get this kind of journalistic lordosis out of his system.

    Think Progress » ABC’s The Note: Bush Gave His ‘Best TV Performance In Years’ On 60 Minutes 2007

  • After some initial maneuvering the castrated male responded to the advances of the unaltered male by bending his back and offering himself in what was to me indistinguishable from female-rat lordosis — behavior indicating receptivity to sex, pictures of which Gorski had shown me in his office.

    Homosexuality and Biology 1997

  • After some initial maneuvering the castrated male responded to the advances of the unaltered male by bending his back and offering himself in what was to me indistinguishable from female-rat lordosis — behavior indicating receptivity to sex, pictures of which Gorski had shown me in his office.

    Homosexuality and Biology 1997

  • This in turn “flattens out” the normal lumbar lordosis C-shaped curve of the spine as viewed from the side.

    Hold it! Edward J. Jackwski 1995

  • This in turn “flattens out” the normal lumbar lordosis C-shaped curve of the spine as viewed from the side.

    Hold it! Edward J. Jackwski 1995

  • This in turn “flattens out” the normal lumbar lordosis C-shaped curve of the spine as viewed from the side.

    Hold it! Edward J. Jackwski 1995

  • If you happen to be lugging a heavy backpack and your core is weak, you might also have lordosis, which means your back is arched and your rear end sticks out slightly.

    Why Standing Often Feels Even Harder Than Running By 2019

  • The result? I have deep “lordosis” (an arch in the lower back) and mild “kyphosis” (rounding in the upper back).

    ‘You stand like an overcooked prawn!’ Why bad posture is the key to back pain – and 10 ways to improve yours Emma Beddington 2023

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.