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definitions

colostomy

[kuh-los-tuh-mee]
noun, plural co·los·to·mies. Surgery.
  1. 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.
  2. the opening so constructed.

Origin of colostomy

First recorded in 1885–90; colo- + -stomy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for colostomy

Contemporary Examples of colostomy

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

    The Daily Beast logo
    The Brave Colostomy Bag Selfies

    Charlotte Lytton

    July 2, 2014

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

    The Daily Beast logo
    The Day Castro Wept

    A. L. Bardach

    September 17, 2009

British Dictionary definitions for colostomy

colostomy

noun plural -mies
  1. 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
Word Origin and History for colostomy
n.

1888, from colon (n.2) + Modern Latin -stoma "opening, orifice," from Greek stoma "opening, mouth" (see stoma).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
colostomy in Medicine

colostomy

[kə-lŏs′tə-mē]
n.
  1. Surgical construction of an artificial excretory opening from the colon.
  2. 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.
colostomy in Science

colostomy

[kə-lŏs′tə-mē]
  1. 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.