cingulus

Cingulus is a term of Latin origin meaning belt or girdle. In scholarly usage it functions primarily as a descriptive label rather than a formal taxonomic name. In anatomy and comparative anatomy, cingulus has been used historically to denote a small, belt-like band surrounding a structure or segment, such as a cingulus around a tooth or around a joint; in modern terminology, many authors prefer cingulum, cinctus, or more specific compound terms.

In paleontology and zoology, cingulus may appear in the description of armor, shells, or carapaces as a narrow band encircling a body part, or as part of an old species description; it is not currently recognized as a distinct higher-level taxon. In botany, belt-like features are usually described with terms such as cinctum or banding, rather than cingulus.

Usage notes: because cingulus is a Latin term that can be encountered in older or specialized literature, readers should rely on the accompanying definition in the source text to interpret which structure is meant. The term is related to but distinct from cingulum, which more commonly designates a specific anatomical structure, and from cingulate, which describes a resemblance to a belt.