midgut

noun

mid·​gut ˈmid-ˌgət How to pronounce midgut (audio)
: the middle part of a digestive tract

Examples of midgut in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These build up in the midgut of the flea, blocking its digestive tract. James P. Close, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2020 The midgut, the equivalent of an insect’s stomach, is seen in red. Lisa Raffensperger, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2013 Once in the mosquito, the viruses invade the cells of its midgut. Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 17 Aug. 2012 The vaccine would then attack the parasites in the mosquitoes’ midguts, making them unable to infect anyone else. BostonGlobe.com, 19 Dec. 2019 On the seventh day of this process, Vignuzzi and his postdoc Kenneth Stapleford dissected the mosquitoes, extracting virus from the midgut, salivary glands and saliva, and sequencing the viruses found in each sample. Quanta Magazine, 25 Aug. 2015 In addition, the scientists found that these trilobites’ digestive systems included a midgut gland, which in modern arthropods is typically found in predators. National Geographic, 6 Feb. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'midgut.' 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

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of midgut was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near midgut

Cite this Entry

“Midgut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/midgut. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

midgut

noun
mid·​gut ˈmid-ˌgət How to pronounce midgut (audio)
1
: the middle part of the digestive tract of a vertebrate embryo that in humans gives rise to the more distal part of the duodenum and to the jejunum, ileum, cecum and appendix, ascending colon, and much of the transverse colon
2
: the mesodermal intermediate part of the intestine of an invertebrate animal

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