body cavity

noun

: a cavity in an animal body
specifically : coelom

Examples of body cavity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Within what would have been the dinosaur’s body cavity were the dismembered remains of two smaller, parrot-like dinosaurs that lived in the same habitat. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2023 After 25–30 days, the larvae become large cysts within the shrimp's body cavity. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2023 Most often, a tube is rigged by inserting an appropriately sized jighead into the body cavity. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 Brown’s attorneys say she was held at the facility for over two hours, during which at least three officers — two of whom are identified in the lawsuit as Troy Lawrence Jr. and Matthew Wallace — allegedly subjected her to strip and body cavity searches without her consent. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2023 Officers allegedly forced Brown, 51, to expose herself in a strip search and examined her body cavities with a flashlight. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023 After completely thawing the turkey, remove the giblets and the neck from the body cavity (usually in a sack inside the bird). Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2023 These specific findings were later upended, as the vegetation found in the dinosaur's stomach turned out to be debris that washed into the body cavity after death. Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 24 May 2023 Penzone pointed at the initial intake, the first search deputies do of someone entering the jail, as a blind spot, asserting that civil rights protections prevent them from doing body cavity searches. Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'body cavity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of body cavity was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near body cavity

Cite this Entry

“Body cavity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/body%20cavity. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

body cavity

noun
: a cavity within an animal body
especially : coelom

Medical Definition

body cavity

noun
: a cavity within an animal body
specifically : coelom

More from Merriam-Webster on body cavity

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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