abdomen

noun

ab·​do·​men ˈab-də-mən How to pronounce abdomen (audio)
-ˌdō-;
əb-ˈdō-mən,
ab- How to pronounce abdomen (audio)
plural abdomens
1
: the part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis
… well-defined reddish lesions that can appear anywhere on the body but most often on the thighs and abdomenSusan Logan-McCracken
also : the cavity of the abdomen that is lined by peritoneum, is bounded above by the diaphragm, anteriorly by a wall of muscle and tissue, and posteriorly by the spinal column, is continuous below with the pelvic cavity, and contains many of the visceral organs and especially those involved in digestion (such as the stomach, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and intestines) : abdominal cavity
Removal of the gallbladder—a pear-shaped sac in the right side of your abdomen—has little adverse effect on digestion. The Mayo Clinic Health Letter
2
: the posterior section of the body behind the thorax in an arthropod
On a nearby table was a … dish of ants that looked familiar except that they had been feeding on peach nectar and the abdomen of each was a large, swollen, translucent sac.The New Yorker
see insect illustration

Examples of abdomen in a Sentence

showed us a tiny tattoo on her abdomen, right next to her belly button
Recent Examples on the Web Another common defense tactic is to shoot or flick a cloud of barbed hairs – right off their own abdomens – at their attackers. Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Carpenter bees Black thumb-sized carpenter bees with shiny abdomens and strong mandibles. The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2024 Some of the animals known to engage in masturbation include: Horses Male horses, donkeys, zebras, and deer are often observed having spontaneous erections and then repeatedly slapping, bouncing, and pressing their penises against their own abdomens in the hopes of reaching an orgasm. Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023 For example, a dear friend of mine had pain in his lower right abdomen, a key indicator of appendicitis — a disease with an extremely high survival rate in the United States. Jeffrey Okoro, STAT, 24 Nov. 2023 Medical device makers Johnson & Johnson’s third-quarter sales for devices used in abdomen surgeries was hit by a slowdown in demand for weight-loss and other procedures, as many obese patients turned to Wegovy and Ozempic. Reuters, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2023 This bee’s head and wings were metal, and its abdomen glass. Noah Lederman, Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2023 Many are found by the road unconscious and driven 12 hours to the hospital with wounds in their heads, chests, and abdomens that require urgent surgeries. Ben Hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2023 Clinging to their comb, some of the giant honeybees flick their abdomens, and others follow. Victoria Sayo Turner, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abdomen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin abdōmen "fat underpart of an animal, belly, paunch," of uncertain origin

Note: Often seen as a derivative of abdere, "to hide, conceal," i.e., "that which is hidden," based on a nominal ablaut form *dhoh1- from the root *dheh1- "put." However, Latin abdōmen refers primarily to a body part of animals, and more or less humorously of humans; such usage suggests something prominent rather than something concealed, so the derivation looks somewhat unlikely.

First Known Use

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of abdomen was circa 1541

Dictionary Entries Near abdomen

Cite this Entry

“Abdomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abdomen. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

abdomen

noun
ab·​do·​men ˈab-də-mən How to pronounce abdomen (audio)
ab-ˈdō-mən
1
a
: the part of the body between the chest and the hips
b
: the body cavity containing the chief digestive organs

called also abdominal cavity

2
: the hind portion of the body behind the thorax in an arthropod see insect illustration
abdominal adjective
abdominally adverb

Medical Definition

abdomen

noun
1
a
: the part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis with the exception of the back

called also belly

b
: the cavity of the abdomen that is lined by the peritoneum, is bounded above by the diaphragm, anteriorly by a wall of muscle and tissue, and posteriorly by the spinal column, is continuous below with the pelvic cavity, and contains many of the visceral organs and especially those involved in digestion (such as the stomach, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and intestines) : abdominal cavity
2
: the posterior often elongated region of the body behind the thorax in arthropods

More from Merriam-Webster on abdomen

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