Word of the Day

: April 14, 2008

deglutition

noun dee-gloo-TISH-un

What It Means

: the act or process of swallowing

deglutition in Context

The speech pathologist noted that the patient had difficulty with deglutition.

Did You Know?

"Deglutition" comes to us from the French word "déglutition," which is derived from the Latin verb "deglutire," meaning "to swallow down." "Deglutire," in turn, derives from "de-" and "glutire," a verb meaning "to swallow." "Deglutition" is a fairly rare word these days, but it has a relative in English that is quite familiar: the noun "glutton," meaning "one who eats to excess." "Glutton" comes from a Latin word ("glutto") that is related to "glutire."