abdomen
Americannoun
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Anatomy, Zoology.
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the part of the body of a mammal between the thorax and the pelvis; belly.
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the cavity of this part of the body containing the stomach, intestines, etc.
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(in nonmammalian vertebrates) a region of the body corresponding to, but not coincident with, this part or cavity.
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Entomology. the posterior section of the body of an arthropod, behind the thorax or the cephalothorax.
noun
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the region of the body of a vertebrate that contains the viscera other than the heart and lungs. In mammals it is separated from the thorax by the diaphragm
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the front or surface of this region; belly
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(in arthropods) the posterior part of the body behind the thorax, consisting of up to ten similar segments
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In vertebrates, the portion of the body between the thorax and pelvis, containing the stomach, intestines, liver, and other organs. In mammals, the abdomen is separated from the thorax by the diaphragm.
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In arthropods, the last, most posterior segment of the body.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abdomen
1535–45; (< Middle French ) < Latin abdōmen belly
Explanation
Your abdomen is the middle part of the front of your body, between your chest area and your pelvis. If the doctor asks if your abdomen hurts, the doctor wants to know if you have any pain in your belly area. The word abdomen is also the name used for the cavity, enclosed by the abdominal muscles, that contains the organs in the abdominal area. The abdomen's contents in humans include your stomach, liver, spleen, small intestine, and kidneys. The word abdomen is sometimes shortened to abs, especially in infomercials and health clubs when referring to the muscles of your abdomen and how you should want flat ones.
Vocabulary lists containing abdomen
Gross, Anatomy!
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Counting by 7s
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Animals (Zoology) - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I was staring up at the ceiling in the darkness when Guy Yocom, my roommate, sat up abruptly in his bed and announced: "Abdomen of a hamster," and then fell back down.
From Golf Digest • Apr. 9, 2020
And therefore let my Lord Abdomen Say what he will, we'll work for no Man.
From Aesop Dress'd Or a collection of Fables by La Fontaine, Jean de
Abdomen: the third or posterior division of the insect body: consists normally of nine or ten apparent segments, but actual number is a mooted question: bears no functional legs in the adult stage.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
The Psoas or Lumbaris is situated inwardly in the Abdomen, on the side of the Vertebra's.
From The Compleat Surgeon or, the whole Art of Surgery explain'd in a most familiar Method. by Le Clerc, Charles Gabriel
Abdomen generally distended and tympanitic, wall rigid and motionless.
From Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small Calibre by Makins, George Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
