n :  a bony or cartilaginous arch that supports the hind limbs of a vertebrate, that corresponds to the pectoral girdle of the forelimbs but is usu. more rigid and firmly attached to the vertebral column, and that consists in lower forms of a single cartilage which is replaced in higher forms including humans by paired hipbones articulating solidly with the sacrum dorsally and with one another at the pubic symphysis .
 
 
 
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