small intestine

noun

: the narrow part of the intestine that lies between the stomach and colon, consists of duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, secretes digestive enzymes, and is the chief site of the digestion of food into small molecules which are absorbed into the body

Examples of small intestine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And the test had identified malignancies for which no standard screening exists: cancers of the small intestine, the pancreas, and a rare spindle-cell neoplasm, a form of bone cancer—all detected at a stage when surgical removal was still possible. —Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

Aside from the damage that celiac disease causes to the small intestine, many of the symptoms are incredibly unpleasant – cramping, diarrhea, intense pain and joint aches are just a few of them. —Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 9 June 2025

As a result, food bypasses much of the small intestine. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 11 Apr. 2025

After taking magnesium, your small intestine absorbs it within about an hour.1 Your body absorbs about 80% of magnesium after six hours.1 Your body tightly regulates magnesium levels through your intestines, bones, and kidneys.2 Your bones and tissues are primary storage sites. —Trang Tran, Verywell Health, 10 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1767, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for small intestine

• clandestine
• progestin

Kids Definition

small intestine

noun

: the long narrow part of the intestine between the stomach and the colon in which food is mostly digested, from which digested food is absorbed into the body, and which consists of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum

Medical Definition

small intestine

noun

: the part of the intestine that lies between the stomach and colon, consists of duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, secretes digestive enzymes, and is the chief site of the absorption of digested nutrients

called also small bowel