meconium
noun
me·co·ni·um
mi-ˈkō-nē-əm 
: a dark greenish mass that accumulates in the bowel during fetal life and is discharged shortly after birth
Examples of meconium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mec is short for meconium, but no one bothers to translate.
—
Erica Stern
june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
That is known as meconium aspiration syndrome – a potentially fatal condition that occurs in 5% to 10% of births but is treatable if diagnosed in time.
—Khwaga Ghani, NPR, 31 Mar. 2025
Black matter moved through the tubes coming out of the baby’s mouth; that was the meconium, I was told.
—Julie Buntin, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Without her knowledge, Villanueva said, the hospital also sent her daughter’s meconium for testing, which found the morphine.
—Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
While urine tests can detect potential drug use over a period of days, testing the baby’s meconium can uncover illicit substances going back months.
—Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
The next day, meconium — a baby’s dark, sticky first bowel movement — was detected.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
A day later, a social worker told the new mother: The baby’s meconium — or first bowel movement — had tested positive for opiates.
—Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
But Ava-Lea died at 35 hours old, a direct result of oxygen deprivation and inhaling meconium, according to the BBC.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
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Erica Stern
june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
That is known as meconium aspiration syndrome – a potentially fatal condition that occurs in 5% to 10% of births but is treatable if diagnosed in time.
—Khwaga Ghani, NPR, 31 Mar. 2025
Black matter moved through the tubes coming out of the baby’s mouth; that was the meconium, I was told.
—Julie Buntin, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Without her knowledge, Villanueva said, the hospital also sent her daughter’s meconium for testing, which found the morphine.
—Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
While urine tests can detect potential drug use over a period of days, testing the baby’s meconium can uncover illicit substances going back months.
—Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
The next day, meconium — a baby’s dark, sticky first bowel movement — was detected.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
A day later, a social worker told the new mother: The baby’s meconium — or first bowel movement — had tested positive for opiates.
—Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
But Ava-Lea died at 35 hours old, a direct result of oxygen deprivation and inhaling meconium, according to the BBC.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Meconium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meconium. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
meconium
noun
me·co·ni·um
mi-ˈkō-nē-əm
: a dark greenish mass of desquamated cells, mucus, and bile that accumulates in the bowel of a fetus and is typically discharged shortly after birth
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