caecum

[see-kuhm]

noun

plural

caeca 

1. cecum.

caecum

/ ˈsiːkəm /

noun

1. anatomy any structure or part that ends in a blind sac or pouch, esp the pouch that marks the beginning of the large intestine

Other Word Forms

• caecal adjective
• caecally adverb
• postcaecal adjective
• subcaecal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of caecum¹

C18: short for Latin intestinum caecum blind intestine, translation of Greek tuphlon enteron

Example Sentences

Microbial energy harvest in obesity has been investigated in conventional genetically obese ob/ mice, which have increased amounts of SCFAs in their caecum and reduced energy content in their faeces compared with their lean littermates.

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This bacterium populates the ileum and caecum and has long been known to be a potent activator of intestinal immune responses.

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Bacteriotherapy involves introducing a faecal sample from a healthy donor as a homogenate by injection into the caecum using a colonoscope.

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Most commonly there is a pair of lateral caeca, which may be more or less ramified and may form a massive “hepato-pancreas” or “liver.”

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The fine membrane called goldbeater’s skin, used for making up the shoder and mould, is the outer coat of the caecum or blind gut of the ox.

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