How 10 Body Parts Got Their Names

Coccyx

The proper name for your tailbone, coccyx was derived from the Greek word for cuckoo—“kokkux”—because the curved shape of the bone resembles the bird’s beak. Scientists consider your tailbone a vestigial structure, which humans no longer needed once we began walking upright; tails help other mammals balance. Don’t miss these 15 names for things you never knew had names.

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