defecation

American  

[def-i-key-shuhn] / ˌdɛf ɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of voiding excrement from the bowels; bowel movement.

   For best results, the stool sample should be tested within half an hour of defecation.

---

Etymology

Origin of defecation

First recorded in 1620–30, for an earlier sense; from Latin dēfaecātiōn-, stem of dēfaecātiō “a cleansing,” from dēfaecāre “to cleanse, refine”; see defecate ( def. ), -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

defecation

One person reported that there was “a sick inmate in the bunk above them whose defecation was falling into their bunk.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

There are always tales of rampant public defecation and they can't stop talking about it.

From Salon ● Dec. 1, 2023

Globally, around 500 million people are compelled to use open defecation, and millions more rely on contaminated water supplies.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 23, 2023

In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that 100% of India's villages had declared themselves free of open defecation after a massive toilet-building programme by his government.

From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2023

I was doubled over with pain, shaking with it, when a process, normal for most but long forgotten by me, set itself into motion: defecation.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel