enema

[ en-uh-muh ]

See synonyms for enema on Thesaurus.com

nounMedicine/Medical.

the injection of a fluid into the rectum to cause a bowel movement.
the fluid injected.

Also called enema bag . a rubber bag or other device for administering an enema.

Origin of enema

First recorded in 1675–85; from Late Latin, from Greek: “injection,” from en- en-² + (h)e- (stem of hiénai “to send, throw”) + -ma, noun suffix

Words Nearby enema

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use enema in a sentence

To this day, astronauts are given the option of getting an enema before they take off, just to lessen the possibility of an urgent bowel movement while they’re en route.
What happens if you get diarrhea in space? | Rachel Feltman | February 8, 2022 | Popular-Science
Alternatively, some providers deliver the stool through a nasogastric tube, an enema or a capsule that can be swallowed, notes Khanna, who runs the Mayo Clinic’s FMT program.
Fecal Transplants: a New Treatment for IBD | Stacey Colino | September 9, 2021 | Time
The mode of proportioning the doses of active ingredients has been noticed in the article enema.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II | Arnold Cooley
The most noticeable are the gigantic Megalosoma and enema, armed with horns.
The Andes and the Amazon | James Orton

British Dictionary definitions for enema

enema

/ (ˈɛnɪmə) /

nounplural -mas or -mata (-mətə) med

the introduction of liquid into the rectum to evacuate the bowels, medicate, or nourish
the liquid so introduced

Origin of enema

C15: from New Latin, from Greek: injection, from enienai to send in, from hienai to send

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

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