fecal
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of fecal
Explanation
Anything fecal has to do with feces: what children call "number two." In other words, fecal matters involve poop. A successful children's book is called "Everyone Poops." That's a book with some seriously fecal subject matter. All fecal issues have something to do with feces: what people commonly refer to as poop or crap. You will get fecal material on your shoe if you step in dog poop. A veterinarian may run fecal tests to see if your pet has a disease. The fecal matter of an elephant is enormous.
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.
Researchers test for fecal pollution because “even a single exposure can result in illness.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
The annual Beach Report Card examines the amount of fecal pollution measured along the West Coast from Baja California all the way up to the state of Washington.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
To test the idea, scientists collected fecal samples from eight young mice and preserved them for later use.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2026
Scientists collected fecal samples from the birds and used them to study their gut microbiomes, which are the communities of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system.
From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026
“Did you know that toxoplasmosis and campylobacteriosis are transmitted to humans from the fecal matter of cats?”
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
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.
