ili(o)-

The ilium.

[Latin ilium, flank or side.]

The ilium is the large broad bone forming the upper part of each half of the pelvis, the haunch or hip bone. The iliacus is a triangular muscle which passes from the pelvis through the groin on either side; the iliopsoas is a complex muscle comprising this and the psoas muscle. The usual adjective referring to the ilium is iliac; other adjectives refer to it plus another part of the body, often in reference to bands of tissue: iliotibial and iliofemoral, ilium plus the tibia and femur respectively, the two bones in the lower leg; ilioinguinal, the hip plus the groin (the inguinal area).

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