lacunære

Lacunary, from the French lacunaire (plural lacunaires) and ultimately from Latin lacuna, is an adjective used in biology, medicine, and related fields. It denotes something that contains lacunae (small cavities or gaps) or is characterized by gaps in structure or distribution.

In histology, lacunae are the small cavities within bone (housing osteocytes) and cartilage (housing chondrocytes). The cells in these lacunae are connected by slender channels called canaliculi, forming a three‑dimensional network that supports tissue maintenance and signaling.

In neurology and pathology, lacunar infarcts (lacunar strokes) are small, deep brain infarcts resulting from occlusion of penetrating arteries. They commonly affect the basal ganglia, thalamus, internal capsule, or brainstem and often present with pure motor or sensory deficits. The term highlights both the small size of the lesions and the characteristic subcortical locations.

Outside anatomy, lacunar descriptions appear in paleography and manuscript studies to indicate gaps or missing portions in a text, inscription, or artifact. In English and French, lacunar or lacunaire can thus describe both physical lacunae and figurative gaps in a record, text, or structure. The term has broader usage to denote punctuated or irregular distributions in various scientific and scholarly contexts.