variants
or chiefly British caecum
plural ceca or chiefly British caeca
ˈsē-kə 
: a cavity open at one end (such as the blind end of a duct)
especially
: the blind pouch at the beginning of the large intestine into which the ileum opens from one side and which is continuous with the colon
Examples of cecum in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For even short periods of ingestion, microplastics accrue in the digestive tract, primarily the cecum which is the pouch between the small intestine and colon.
—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Hookworms stick to the wall of the small intestine and suck blood, posing a serious threat; roundworms are typically seen in puppies but adult dogs can get them too; whipworms live in the cecum and can be quite hard to diagnose; and tapeworms, which are typically carried by fleas.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
This is the right side of the colon, which extends upward from the cecum.
—Cristina Mutchler, Health, 19 Oct. 2024
Dangling off the cecum, where the colon begins, the appendix is a hollow tube that secretes a fair amount of mucus.
—Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2020
The appendix is closed at one end and attached at the other end to the cecum, the pouchlike beginning of the large intestine into which the small intestine empties its contents.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2022
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Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Hookworms stick to the wall of the small intestine and suck blood, posing a serious threat; roundworms are typically seen in puppies but adult dogs can get them too; whipworms live in the cecum and can be quite hard to diagnose; and tapeworms, which are typically carried by fleas.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
This is the right side of the colon, which extends upward from the cecum.
—Cristina Mutchler, Health, 19 Oct. 2024
Dangling off the cecum, where the colon begins, the appendix is a hollow tube that secretes a fair amount of mucus.
—Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2020
The appendix is closed at one end and attached at the other end to the cecum, the pouchlike beginning of the large intestine into which the small intestine empties its contents.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Cecum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cecum. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cecum
noun
ce·cum
variants
or chiefly British caecum
plural ceca or chiefly British caeca
-kə
: a cavity open at one end (as the blind end of a duct)
especially
: the blind pouch at the beginning of the large intestine into which the ileum opens from one side and which is continuous with the colon
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