small intestine

noun

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of small intestine

: 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

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See small intestine defined for kids

Recent Examples of small intestine from the Web

The surgery entails removing the stomach and attaching the esophagus to the small intestine.

— sumathi reddy, WSJ, "The Parent Has a Cancer Gene—Should the Child Get Surgery?," 6 Mar. 2018
Allulose is a monosaccharide…absorbed in the small intestine but not metabolized in the liver.

— jean nick, Good Housekeeping, "How Safe Is The Newest "Natural" Sugar Substitute?," 16 Sep. 2015
Crohn’s disease causes irritation in your digestive system, usually in your small intestine and the beginning of your large intestine, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases.

— korin miller, SELF, "Here Are All the Things That Can Cause Bizarre Green Poop," 30 May 2018
Weyker said her husband had an abscess the size of an orange removed from the space between his stomach and small intestine, in the abdominal cavity.

— hannah kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "They met left in life, but now ALS has changed their love story," 23 May 2018
The most definitive test, though, is a biopsy of the small intestine to check for damage on a cellular level.

— carolyn todd, Allure, "How to Tell If You Have Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity," 21 May 2018
When patients with celiac disease eat gluten, their bodies attack their small intestine.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "A guide to gluten-free-friendly dining in Central Florida," 10 May 2018
The small intestine was attached to his bowel and then surgeons had to wait.

— Fox News, "7-year-old boy recovering after 5-organ transplant surgery," 25 Apr. 2018
He was hospitalized, but physicians were unaware of a perforated duodenum, a portion of the small intestine, the complaint says.

— megan cassidy, azcentral, "After recent $7 million settlement, a look at 5 other payouts from Arpaio-era jail deaths," 9 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of small intestine

1767

in the meaning defined above

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SMALL INTESTINE Defined for English Language Learners

small intestine

noun

Definition of small intestine for English Language Learners

: the long, narrow upper part of the intestine in which food is digested after it leaves the stomach

SMALL INTESTINE Defined for Kids

small intestine

noun

Definition of small intestine for Students

: the long narrow upper part of the intestine in which food is mostly digested and from which digested food is absorbed into the body

Medical Dictionary

small intestine

noun

medical Definition of small intestine

: 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