abdomen

noun ab·do·men \ ˈab-də-mən , -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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abdominal

play \ab-ˈdä-mə-nᵊl, əb-, -ˈdäm-nᵊl\ adjective

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abdominally

play \-ē\ adverb

See abdomen defined for English-language learners

See abdomen defined for kids

Examples of abdomen in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of abdomen from the Web

According to these reports: In Mobile, Ala., a hospice nurse found a man at home in tears, holding his abdomen, complaining of pain at the top of a 10-point scale.

— melissa bailey, Kaiser Health News, "Dying At Home In An Opioid Crisis: Hospices Grapple With Stolen Meds," 22 Aug. 2017
When Jaire was 3, his 8-month-old brother, Nadir, died from complications of Prune Belly Syndrome, a rare condition in which the baby was born without muscles in his abdomen.

— steve jones, The Courier-Journal, "Once forgotten, Cards' Jaire Alexander nears NFL stardom," 18 Aug. 2017
Your abdomen was filled with blood up to your liver.

— joanna petrone, Longreads, "Pregnant, then Ruptured," 18 Aug. 2017
The siblings were with a group of people at the Bacon Street park when a fight between the two broke out about 6:40 p.m. During the argument, the older brother was sliced across his abdomen with a folding knife, police said.

— david hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Police: Teen stabs brother at Robb Athletic Field in Ocean Beach," 17 Aug. 2017
Authorities said the man was cut in his abdomen and taken to a hospital.

— Washington Post, "In D.C., man stabbed near H Street entertainment strip," 12 Aug. 2017
In this case, the 30-year-old man's fat cells were taken from his abdomen.

— de elizabeth, Allure, "Swedish Man Dies During Penis Enlargement Surgery," 31 July 2017
During dawn and dusk, the females will take wing, sucking in huge quantities of air to inflate their bright orange abdomens.

— joshua rapp learn, Smithsonian, "Why Snail Sex is Like a Box of Chocolates," 21 July 2017
Yet Sullivan could not say whether she had been hit once or several times in her abdomen.

— michael gordon, charlotteobserver, "Family said toddler had brittle bones. Prosecutors say it was murder.," 20 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of 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.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1541

See Words from the same year

abdomen Synonyms

Synonyms

stomach, belly, breadbasket [slang], gut, solar plexus, tummy

Related Words

middle, midriff, waist; paunch, potbelly; thorax

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

ABDOMEN Defined for English Language Learners

abdomen

noun

Definition of abdomen for English Language Learners

: the part of the body below the chest that contains the stomach and other organs
: the rear part of an insect's body

ABDOMEN Defined for Kids

abdomen

noun ab·do·men \ ˈab-də-mən , ab-ˈdō- \

Definition of abdomen for Students

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)

Medical Dictionary

abdomen

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

medical Definition of abdomen

1 a :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