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

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 Police said he had been shot in the abdomen and was taken to an area hospital. — Jessica Anderson, baltimoresun.com, "60-year-old man shot after returning home from church Monday night, police say," 24 Apr. 2018 When a CT scan confirmed the presence of several small oval objects in her abdomen, the doctors gave her laxatives. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "As if heroin weren’t dangerous enough, it may come with lead poisoning," 9 Nov. 2018 Soon came a certain mysterious pressure in her abdomen. — Vahe Gregorian, kansascity, "The remarkable Hilary Watson's inspiring battle against cancer | The Kansas City Star," 19 May 2018 Bullets punched holes in Mcneill’s left arm, his chest and his abdomen. — Meredith Cohn, Washington Post, "After being shot, Baltimore police officer spends four years recovering in hope of returning to duty," 7 Apr. 2018 Doctors have also been using it (off-label) on armpit and bra bulge, as well as the abdomen. — Harper's Bazaar Staff, Harper's BAZAAR, "17 Over-the-Top Beauty Treatments to Try Before Your Wedding Day," 13 Dec. 2018 Investigators discovered the girl had bruising on her abdomen, chest, face and head, and her body temperature at the time of death was only 79 degrees. — Holly V. Hays, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis mother sentenced in infant daughter's 2013 death," 20 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

29 Apr 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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