abdomen
The belly, or that part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis, not including the back; or in some lower vertebrates, the portion between the cardiac and caudal regions.
Other meanings
The cavity of the belly, which is lined by the peritoneum, and contains the viscera; often restricted in humans to the part between the diaphragm and the commencement of the pelvis, the remainder being called the pelvic cavity.
“He was all bent over complaining of pains in the abdomen.”
The posterior section of the body, behind the thorax, in insects, crustaceans, and other Arthropoda.
Synonyms
- stomach
- belly
A kind of
- body part
Related words
- hemiabdomen
- postabdomen
- preabdomen
- acute abdomen
- boat-shaped abdomen
- carinate abdomen
- navicular abdomen
- obstipum abdomen
- pendulous abdomen
- scaphoid abdomen
- surgical abdomen
Word history
From Latin "abdōmen".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “abdomen” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.