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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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