Pygidion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The rounded posterior part of the body in certain animals, particularly the hindmost segment of the abdomen in insects ; a terminal structure or protuberance found at the rear end of some organisms ; an anatomical feature marking the rear extremity of the body in various species
2. The rearmost section of an animal's anatomy, especially the last abdominal segment in arthropods ; the tail-end portion or apex of the body seen in specific animal groups ; a distinct terminal body part located at the posterior region in certain creatures
3. The last visible segment at the rear of an insect's body, often used for identification ; the posterior terminal end of the body in some invertebrates ; a body part at the hindmost region functioning as the extremity of the organism's trunk

Etymology: The Greek "pygē" meant "rump" or "buttocks," and "pygidion" was its diminutive, a little rear part. Zoologists adopted the form as a technical term, so the animal sense is a deliberate scientific coinage from classical roots, not a word ancient Greeks used for insect anatomy. The same root gives us "callipygian," from the Greek "kallipygos," "beautifully buttocked." The adjective is tied to the Venus Callipyge, a Roman copy of a Hellenistic statue of Aphrodite now in Naples. The root is unrelated to "pygmy," which comes from a different Greek word meaning "fist."

Synonyms: pygidium