enteric
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Usage
What does enteric mean? Enteric is a medical term that means within, by way of, or related to the intestines. A much more common word for this is intestinal. A close synonym is enteral. Enteric-coated pills are those that have a coating that’s designed not to wear away until after the pill passes through the stomach and reaches the small intestine, where it will then release the medicine. The names of some medical conditions include the term enteric. Enteric fever is another name for typhoid fever (which involves intestinal inflammation and ulceration). The plural noun enterics refers to bacteria that live in the intestines, also called enterobacteria. The related word enteron is a technical name for the digestive tract or the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the intestines. Example: The enteric nervous system controls the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of enteric
From the Greek word enterikós, dating back to 1865–70. See enter-, -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Enteric refers to the gastrointestinal tract and South Korean officials say it may be cholera or typhoid.
From Reuters • Jun. 18, 2022
Enteric endocrine system cells secrete enzymes in response to specific stimuli.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Peter Gerner-Smidt, chief of the CDC's Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch and PulseNet, says labs will gradually move away from having to culture bacteria to identify them.
From Scientific American • May 18, 2015
Here pale and emaciated men were wandering in pyjamas between tents marked "Dysentery," "Enteric," and "Infectious Wards."
From Tell England A Study in a Generation by Raymond, Ernest
Enteric fever, our chief scourge, I will pass over for the same reason.
From Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small Calibre by Makins, George Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
