Lacuna
/ləˈkjuː.nə/noun
An empty space, gap, or missing part in something.
Did you know?Latin *lacuna* came from *lacus* (“lake”), so the word for a gap was born from the image of a hollow that fills with water—an absence made visible.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*laku-
“a body of water, lake”
Latin
Latin
lacus
“lake, pool, basin”
Latin
Latin
lacuna
“a pit, cavity, hole; a gap or missing piece”
Late Latin
Latin
lacuna
“a gap, blank, deficiency”
16th Century
English
lacune / lacuna
“a gap or missing part in a manuscript or record”
Modern English
English
lacuna
“a blank space or missing part”