fecal

adjective

fe·​cal ˈfē-kəl 

: of, relating to, or constituting feces

Examples of fecal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The parasitic worms can spread through the fecal-oral route. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 June 2026

But the bacteria are an indicator that other, potentially harmful, fecal bacteria could be present. — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 19 June 2026

The vast majority of bacteria are harmless or beneficial, even fecal ones; some experts estimate that only about one in a billion bacterial species are human pathogens. — Joseph Kim, NPR, 16 June 2026

Detainees at the facility have reported a lack of access to lawyers and poor physical conditions, including worms in the food, toilets that do not flush, floors flooding with fecal waste and insects everywhere. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin faecālis, from Latin faec-, faex "wine lees, tartar, dregs" (Medieval Latin also "excrement") + -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fecal

• caecal
• faecal
• meikle
• treacle
• ileocecal
• intrathecal

Medical Definition

fecal

adjective

fe·​cal

variants or chiefly British faecal

ˈfē-kəl 

: of, relating to, or constituting feces

fecal incontinence

fecal matter

fecally adverb

or chiefly British faecally

-kə-lē