loins
loins Lexical Profile
loins Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Plural of loin; cuts of meat taken from the lower back of an animal on either side of the backbone.
"The butcher prepared two tender pork loins seasoned with rosemary and garlic for the banquet."
The part of the body on both sides of the spine between the lowest (false) ribs and the hipbones.
"The marathon runner felt a dull ache in his loins after completing the steep uphill climb."
The region of the sexual organs, especially when regarded as the source of procreation or erotic desire (chiefly literary or euphemistic).
"In classic literature, the monarch's heirs are often poetically described as the fruit of his loins."
Word Nuance & Usage
While the singular 'loin' typically refers to a specific cut of meat in culinary contexts, the plural 'loins' is standard when referring to human anatomy, procreation, or in the idiom 'gird one's loins' (meaning to prepare oneself for a difficult challenge).
• Rhymes for loins
Word Origin & Etymology
Middle English, from Old French loigne, ultimately derived from Latin lumbus ('loin').