peritoneum

noun

peri·to·ne·um | \ ˌper-ə-tə-ˈnē-əm

plural peritoneums\ ˌper-ə-tə-ˈnē-əmz

\ or peritonea\ ˌper-ə-tə-ˈnē-ə

Definition of peritoneum

: the smooth transparent serous membrane that lines the cavity of the abdomen of a mammal and is folded inward over the abdominal and pelvic viscera

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Other Words from peritoneum

peritoneal \ ˌper-ə-tə-ˈnē-əl

\ adjective

peritoneally \ ˌper-ə-tə-ˈnē-ə-lē

\ adverb

Examples of peritoneum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

William Schaffner, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University’s medical school, said another possibility is that an infection has spilled into the peritoneum, the lining of the abdomen. — Washington Post, "HHS secretary readmitted to hospital for further treatment of diverticulitis," 18 Apr. 2018 Lynn told me that her husband, Mark, was diagnosed in September 2016 with late-stage cancer of the peritoneum, or abdominal lining. — Lindsay Gellman, Longreads, "The Last Resort," 22 Mar. 2018 Cells can land on the uterosacral ligaments, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, bowels, bladder, peritoneum, appendix, and sometimes in rare cases, the diaphragm, lungs, or the brain. — Meghan Cleary, Teen Vogue, "Why Having A Hysterectomy to End Endometriosis Might Not Work," 14 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peritoneum.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of peritoneum was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for peritoneum

peritoneum

noun

peri·to·ne·um

variants: or chiefly British peritonaeum \ ˌper-ət-ᵊn-ˈē-əm

plural peritoneums or chiefly British -naeums\ -ˈē-əmz

\ or -nea or chiefly British peritonaea\ -ˈē-ə

Medical Definition of peritoneum

: the smooth transparent serous membrane that lines the cavity of the abdomen of a mammal, is folded inward over the abdominal and pelvic viscera, and consists of an outer layer closely adherent to the walls of the abdomen and an inner layer that folds to invest the viscera — see parietal peritoneum, visceral peritoneum — compare mesentery sense 1