cecum

American

[see-kuhm] / ˈsi kəm /

Or caecum

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

a cul-de-sac, especially that in which the large intestine begins.

cecum British

/ ˈsiːkəm /

noun

a variant spelling of caecum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cecum Scientific

/ sē′kəm /

A large pouch forming the beginning of the large intestine. The appendix and the ileum of the small intestine both connect to the cecum.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

ceca

plural

Etymology

Origin of cecum

1715–25; short for Latin intestinum caecum blind gut

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.

See Examples For:

cecum

To determine how these conditions affected the animals, the team analyzed liver cells and tissues, blood plasma, organic acids from the cecum, and samples of gut bacteria.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

Mice possess a cecum -- a pouch in their digestive system that slows the flow of intestinal contents and helps digest carbohydrates, which may contribute to being able to better tolerate sorbitol.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2024

The cecum receives semi-solid waste from the small intestine and absorbs water, vitamins, and minerals.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Once chyme enters the cecum, colon movements begin.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

After about twenty-four hours it becomes localized in the region of the cecum.

From Appendicitis by John Henry Tilden

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023