abdomen

noun

ab·do·men | \ ˈab-də-mən

How to pronounce abdomen (audio)

, -ˌdō-; əb-ˈdō-mən, ab-\

Definition of abdomen

1 : the part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis also : the cavity of this part of the trunk containing the chief viscera

2 : the posterior section of the body behind the thorax in an arthropod — see insect illustration

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Other Words from abdomen

abdominal \ ab-ˈdä-mə-nᵊl

, əb- , -ˈdäm-nᵊl \ adjective

abdominally \ -ē

\ adverb

Examples of abdomen in a Sentence

showed us a tiny tattoo on her abdomen, right next to her belly button

Recent Examples on the Web

Deputies arrived to find Brandyn Paonessa in the yard suffered from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, said sheriff’s Capt. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al.com, "Man killed by shotgun blast in domestic incident was Fort Benning sergeant," 17 June 2019 The actress revealed in August 2016 that doctors discovered cancerous tissue in her abdomen. — Scottie Andrew And Brian Ries, CNN, "Mexican telenovela star Edith Gonzalez dies at 54," 13 June 2019 Specifically, he was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in an area of his abdomen. — cleveland.com, "North Union Farmers Market returns to Legacy Village; new board president at Mandel JDS; more: Press Run," 7 June 2019 Sauda Suleiman Amour, 19, was born with a defective abdominal wall that caused her liver and a part of her intestine to stick out of her abdomen. — Fox News, "Doctors save teen who lived with organs outside body for 19 years," 18 June 2018 There was a basketball-sized pool of blood on the right side of his abdomen, said Kirkley's daughter Rebekka, who asked to be identified only by her first name. — Hanna Krueger, NOLA.com, "'He would do anything for you': Neighbor finds 'Big Lee' Martin shot dead in his yard," 5 May 2018 Rahn was kept in the intensive care unit for a couple of days as her organs, which had been crammed inside her abdomen, started to move back into place, Jones said. — Lindsey Bever, chicagotribune.com, "She kept gaining weight and didn't know why. It turned out to be a 50-pound ovarian cyst.," 2 July 2018 The bullet tore through his abdomen and hit an artery leading to his left leg. — Nina Shapiro, The Seattle Times, "He’s Mexican. She’s American. Deportation forced this Washington state family to make a choice.," 27 July 2018 The child, Mario Brown, who had just turned 17, had yet to arrive from a CT scan of his abdomen and the .22-caliber bullet lodged in it. — Kurtis Lee, latimes.com, "In Detroit's busiest ER, a man with his own dark past tries to halt a cycle of violence," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abdomen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for abdomen

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin abdōmen "fat underpart of an animal, belly, paunch," of uncertain origin

Note: Often seen as a derivative of abdere, "to hide, conceal," i.e., "that which is hidden," based on a nominal ablaut form *dhoh₁- from the root *dheh₁- "put." However, Latin abdōmen refers primarily to a body part of animals, and more or less humorously of humans; such usage suggests something prominent rather than something concealed, so the derivation looks somewhat unlikely.

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Dictionary Entries near abdomen

abdominal pouch

Statistics for abdomen

Last Updated

24 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for abdomen

The first known use of abdomen was circa 1541

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More Definitions for abdomen

abdomen

noun

English Language Learners Definition of abdomen

: the part of the body below the chest that contains the stomach and other organs

: the rear part of an insect's body

See the full definition for abdomen in the English Language Learners Dictionary

abdomen

noun

ab·do·men | \ ˈab-də-mən

, ab-ˈdō-\

Kids Definition of abdomen

1 : the part of the body between the chest and the hips including the cavity containing the stomach and other digestive organs

2 : the hind part of the body of an arthropod (as an insect)

abdomen

noun

ab·do·men | \ ˈab-də-mən, -ˌdō-; əb-ˈdō-mən, ab-

\

Medical Definition of abdomen

1a : the part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis with the exception of the back

— called also belly

b : the cavity of this part of the trunk lined by the peritoneum, enclosed by the body walls, the diaphragm, and the pelvic floor, and containing the visceral organs (as the stomach, intestines, and liver)

c : the portion of this cavity between the diaphragm and the brim of the pelvis — compare pelvic cavity

2 : the posterior often elongated region of the body behind the thorax in arthropods

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