english word · 2026-06-22

Lacuna

noun

Meaning

A gap or missing part in a piece of writing, an argument, or a memory. In a broader sense, it refers to a silent or empty space where something essential is absent.

Etymology

From the Latin 'lacuna' meaning a pit, hole, or hollow, which is the diminutive of 'lacus' meaning lake.

Examples

"There was a strange lacuna in her recollection of the evening, as if her mind had simply skipped those few minutes."

"The historian struggled to piece together the narrative because of a significant lacuna in the ancient manuscript."

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