Dictionary.com

colostomy

[ kuh-los-tuh-mee ]
/ kəˈlɒs tə mi /

noun, plural co·los·to·mies.Surgery.

the construction of an artificial opening from the colon through the abdominal wall, thus bypassing a diseased portion of the lower intestine and permitting the passage of intestinal contents.
the opening so constructed.

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Origin of colostomy

First recorded in 1885–90; colo- + -stomy

Words nearby colostomy

Colossian, Colossians, colossus, Colossus of Memnon, Colossus of Rhodes, colostomy, colostomy bag, colostrorrhea, colostrum, colotomy, colour
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for colostomy

  • And, thanks to a host of women posting photos of themselves with their colostomy bags, the condition is shedding its stigma.

    The Brave Colostomy Bag Selfies|Charlotte Lytton|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

  • But Castro nixed having a colostomy, perhaps out of pride, machismo, or hubris—or some combination of the three.

    The Day Castro Wept|A. L. Bardach|September 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for colostomy

colostomy
/ (kəˈlɒstəmɪ) /

noun plural -mies

the surgical formation of an opening from the colon onto the surface of the body, which functions as an anus
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

Medical definitions for colostomy

colostomy
[ kə-lŏs′tə-mē ]

n.

Surgical construction of an artificial excretory opening from the colon.
The opening created by such a surgical procedure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for colostomy

colostomy
[ kə-lŏs′tə-mē ]

Surgical construction of an opening from the colon through the abdominal wall to the outside of the body for the purpose of excretion.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.