defecation

noun

def·​e·​ca·​tion ˌde-fi-ˈkā-shən 

1

: the discharge of solid waste from the anus : the act or process of defecating

To meet the clinical definition of IBS [irritable bowel syndrome], you must have had 12 weeks … of abdominal pain or discomfort within the past year, associated with relief with defecation and a change in the form or frequency of stool.

—Food and Fitness Advisor

2

: feces, excrement

At first it was believable because, as Gov. Mario Cuomo said at the outset, "She's covered with defecation, her hair is shorn … "

—Ellen Goodman

William Allen Livingston lost several ounces of urine and defecation when the fusillade of .38 caliber and .00 buckshot devastated him …

—Joseph Wambaugh

Examples of defecation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In her plan, the African diaspora to build pay-to-use toilets across the town, to tackle open defecation, and would receive a return on their investment from the fees. —Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 25 Feb. 2024

Open defecation and urination create public health risks. —Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2024

Kenneth Halberg The rectums of most mammals and insects absorb any remaining nutrients and water from the body's waste products prior to defecation. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2023

And most importantly, 361 public toilets have been built, connected to the new sewers, to reduce the rate of open defecation. —Oliver Franklin-Wallis, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2023

Undergoing training can also trigger FRAPs, along with a simple act like defecation. —Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023

The human body loses fluids in several ways, such as sweating, breathing, urination and defecation, as well as through tears and saliva. —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023

But the vast majority are bacteria, and the bulk of them reside in the gut, or gastrointestinal tract (which means that each defecation probably flips the ratio in our favor). —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 6 May 2021

While dog diapers will certainly reduce the effects of uncontrolled urination and defecation, they should not be used as the sole means of housebreaking a new pet. —Michael Pollick, chicagotribune.com, 24 Mar. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

defecation

noun

def·​e·​ca·​tion

variants or chiefly British defaecation

ˌdef-i-ˈkā-shən 

: discharge of feces