flatulence

American  

[flach-uh-luhns] / ˈflætʃ ə ləns /

Sometimes flatulency

noun

1. the condition of having an accumulation of gas in the alimentary canal.

   To avoid the uncomfortable feeling of flatulence, increase your fiber intake gradually.

2. the expulsion of alimentary gas through the anus.

   Symptoms include abdominal discomfort, flatulence, and headache.

3. inflated and empty speech or writing; unsupported pretension; pomposity.

   His lectures, noted for their flatulence, were popular fodder for mocking.

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Etymology

Origin of flatulence

First recorded in 1700–10; from French ; flatul(ent) ( def. ) + -ence ( def. )

Example Sentences

Rosaura becomes a smelly ball of flatulence and bad odors that eventually leads to her death — freeing her daughter Esperanza to do what she pleases.

From Salon

Actually, Stones is enacting a performance of his own by trying to contain his flatulence — or at least pass wind discreetly and out of any of these sound specialists' earshot.

From Salon

This isn’t “Blazing Saddles”; audible flatulence is restricted to a single plaintive note, rather than a full symphony.

From New York Times

Stifling flatulence is a full-time job, and one that he does very well.

From Los Angeles Times

When it played at the Berlin Film Festival, Jessica Kiang, in The Times, wrote that it was “surely the most single-minded evocation of the discomfort of suppressing flatulence ever to get a major festival berth.”

From New York Times