Lewis & Short

ăcētābŭlum, i, n. [acetum], orig., a vessel for vinegar, Isid. 20 Orig. 4, 12; but in gen.,

  1. I. Any cup-shaped vessel, Quint. 8, 6, 35; Vulg. Ex. 25, 29: acetabula argen tea, id. Num. 7, 84; as a liquid or dry measure, the fourth part of a hemina, Cato R. R. 102; Plin. 18, 7, 14; 21, 34, 109; and with jugglers, the cup or goblet with which they performed their feats, Sen. Ep. 45, 7.
  2. II. In anatomy, the socket of the hip-bone, Plin. 28, 11, 49, § 179.
  3. III. In zoölogy, the suckers or cavities in the arms of polypi, Plin. 9, 29, 46; 30, 48.
  4. IV. In botany, the cup of flowers, id. 18, 26, 65, § 245.