abdomen

noun

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ab·do·men | \ ˈab-də-mən

, -ˌdō-; əb-ˈdō-mən, ab-

plural abdomens

Definition of abdomen

1 : the part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis … well-defined reddish lesions that can appear anywhere on the body but most often on the thighs and abdomen …— Susan Logan-McCracken also : the cavity of the abdomen that is lined by peritoneum, is bounded above by the diaphragm, anteriorly by a wall of muscle and tissue, and posteriorly by the spinal column, is continuous below with the pelvic cavity, and contains many of the visceral organs and especially those involved in digestion (such as the stomach, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and intestines) : abdominal cavity Removal of the gallbladder—a pear-shaped sac in the right side of your abdomen—has little adverse effect on digestion. — The Mayo Clinic Health Letter

2 : the posterior section of the body behind the thorax in an arthropod On a nearby table was a … dish of ants that looked familiar except that they had been feeding on peach nectar and the abdomen of each was a large, swollen, translucent sac. — The New Yorker — see insect illustration

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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 In the former, a 30-year-old man walked into a hospital after being shot in the abdomen. — Alex Mann, baltimoresun.com, "Four injured during separate Easter weekend shootings in Baltimore, police say," 4 Apr. 2021 An 18-year-old man was shot in the face and lower abdomen and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said. — Paige Fry, chicagotribune.com, "2 men die in shootout in South Shore apartment, police say," 25 Mar. 2021 When he was told to leave the property, Gentle shot Hines in the abdomen, the report stated. — Wayne K. Roustan, sun-sentinel.com, "Fired employee shoots former coworker, cops say," 24 Mar. 2021 The bullet appeared to have gone through the victim’s hand and into his lower abdomen, Heims said. — Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Man shot after refusing to turn over cellphone," 14 Mar. 2021 Dellavedova, who has not played this season because of a severe concussion, alerted team doctors of pain in his lower right abdomen on Saturday. — Chris Fedor, cleveland, "Matthew Dellavedova, still sidelined with a concussion, undergoes appendectomy Saturday," 21 Feb. 2021 Several days later, Jessie started having pains in her lower abdomen. — Rachel Reiff Ellis, Woman's Day, "How a Lung Cancer Diagnosis Gave One Woman a New Lease on Life," 17 Mar. 2020 Once a week for eight weeks, participants get two shots in the abdomen. — Cindy Krischer Goodman, sun-sentinel.com, "COVID long-haulers pin hope on South Florida drug trial," 20 Mar. 2021 Both officers shot at her; at least one bullet struck Bacon in the abdomen and knocked her to the ground. — Steven Martinez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A West Allis woman was high on drugs when she repeatedly shot at police in Cudahy, complaint says," 19 Mar. 2021

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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Last Updated

7 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Abdomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abdomen. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021.

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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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