// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the loin say? It was a cut above.
The loins, or lumbus (pl.: lumbi), are the sides between the lower ribs and pelvis, and the lower part of the back.[1][2][3] The term is used to describe the anatomy of humans and quadrupeds, such as horses,[4][5] pigs,[6][7] or cattle.[8] The anatomical reference also applies to particular cuts of meat, including tenderloin or sirloin steak.[2]
Human anatomy
[edit]
In human anatomy, the term "loin" or "loins" refers to the side of the human body below the rib cage to just above the pelvis.[1] It is frequently used to reference the general area below the ribs. The lumbar region of the spinal column is located in the loin area of the body.[9]
Society and culture
[edit]In contemporary usage, the term appears primarily in two contexts: where loins are "girded" in preparation for a challenge, or else euphemistically referring to human genitals.[1][2] In literature or poetry, to feel a "stirring" in one's loins may suggest sexual excitement.
Loins may refer generally to the lower area of the body,[10] much like the term "below the belt" derives from a belt worn at the waist.[11] For example, the word "loincloth" is used in the Bible to refer to an item of clothing which covers the loins.[12] The "fruit" of one's loins refers to offspring.[13][14]
To "gird one's loins" is literally to fasten a belt (gird) around the waist (loins). In The Golden Bough, for example, Frazer writes that, to escape back pains, "Saxon reapers in Transylvania gird their loins with the first handful of ears which they cut", thereby securing the protection of the corn spirit.[15] In the modern age, it has become an idiom meaning to prepare oneself for action or effort, as in:
If your counselor says your aptitude scores show that you have the ability ..., gird up your loins and start making a valiant try right now.[16]
Derived from this sense of the phrase, a folk etymology supposes that when the long tunic of the Ancient era was the typical garment, "girding one's loins" meant raising the lower portion of the tunic and securing it between one's legs to increase mobility for work or battle.[17] This account has become a popular internet meme, illustrated by a six-panel cartoon published by "The Art of Manliness".[18] However, the phrase actually means the tightening of one's garments against one's body with a belt at the waist.[19]
Loins in butchery
[edit]
Butchers refer to the section of meat below the rib cage, but above the round (in a carcass hanging from the head end), as loin. Various names of meats further butchered from the loin section of cattle and pig contain the name "loin" such as tenderloin and sirloin. In American butchery of beef, the loin section of beef is further divided and named sirloin,[20] top sirloin,[20] short loin[20] and tenderloin.[20]
In the British butchery of beef, the same section is generally referred to as the "rump".
Cuts of pork of this section include pork loin and pork tenderloin.[21]
Some culinary professionals consider tenderloin the most tender cut of beef.[22] The loin section of beef is popular among consumers for its low fat qualities.[21] It is the source of filet mignon.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "loin". Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
- 1 2 3 "loin". Compact Oxford English dictionary of current English. London: Oxford U.P. 2005. ISBN 0-19-861022-X. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Surface Anatomy of the Back - Human Anatomy". Theodora.com. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Body Parts of the Horse". Gaited Horses. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
- ↑ "Parts of the Horse Clickable Image - Parts of the Horse The Loin". Horses.about.com. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Pork Tenderloin". All Recipes. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Do You Know the Parts of Your Pet Pig?". United Pet Pig Registry, Inc. Retrieved 13 August 2008. extracted from Reeves, David E.; H. Neil Becker; American Association of Swine Practitioners (1993). Care and management of miniature pet pigs: guidelines for the veterinary practitioner. Santa Barbara, California: Veterinary Practice Pub. Co. ISBN 0-9603534-3-7.
- ↑ "Recipes - Roast Beef Tenderloin". Cooks.com. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "Anatomy – Lumbar Spine". Back.com. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "GraceCathedral". Sermon Excerpts. 2005. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2008.
- ↑ "Phrases.org.uk". Phrase Meanings: Below the Belt. 2005. Retrieved 26 June 2008.
- ↑ "BibleTab". Loincloth. 2005. Retrieved 26 June 2008.
- ↑ "Fruit of (one's) loins". Idioms by The Free Dictionary. 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ "Acts 2:30". Bible Hub. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- ↑ Frazer, James George (1922). "The Corn-Spirit as an Animal". The Golden Bough (abridged ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 456.
- ↑ Leslie L. Nason, Ed. D. (6 October 1965), "School of your Choice", Lawrence Daily Journal, p. 3, retrieved 1 February 2016
- ↑ "Gird Your Loins". Historyzine. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ AoM Team (7 May 2023). "Skill of the Week: Gird Up Your Loins". The Art of Manliness. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ G. Johannes Botterweck & Helmer Ringgren (1981). Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Vol. 4. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 442. ISBN 978-0-8028-2328-1.
- 1 2 3 4 "GourmetSleuth". Guide to Beef Cuts. 2005. Archived from the original on 19 June 2001. Retrieved 26 June 2008.
- 1 2 Rattray, Diana. "Pork Tenderloin Recipes". About.com Food. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
- ↑ "Steak: Grades & Cuts – Know what beef to buy". Bbq.about.com. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.