gallstone

American  

[gawl-stohn] / ˈgɔlˌstoʊn /

noun

• gallstones
  plural

1. an abnormal stonelike mass, usually of cholesterol, formed in the gallbladder or bile passages.

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gallstone British  

/ ˈɡɔːlˌstəʊn /

noun

1. Also called: bilestone.  pathol a small hard concretion of cholesterol, bile pigments, and lime salts, formed in the gall bladder or its ducts

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gallstone Scientific  

/ gôl′stōn′ /

1. A small, hard, abnormal mass composed chiefly of cholesterol, calcium salts, and bile pigments, formed in the gallbladder or in a bile duct. The presence of gallstones can lead to painful obstruction or infection and is sometimes treated with cholecystectomy.

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gallstone Cultural  

1. A hard, pebblelike material deposited in the gallbladder or bile ducts by the process of chemical precipitation. Gallstones can cause considerable pain and can even obstruct the flow of bile from the gallbladder. On some occasions, the entire gallbladder must be removed by surgery.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gallstones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gallstone

First recorded in 1750–60; gall ¹ + stone

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gallstone gallstones

Rarer side effects include acute gallstone disease and pancreatitis, and the NHS warns that there is also a risk of hypoglycaemia, which happens when your blood sugar level drops too low.

From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2025

In this patient’s case, the stuck gallstone blocked the flow of bilirubin into the gastrointestinal tract.

From New York Times ● May 16, 2023

He was asked whether to remove a gallstone, if it was okay to begin chemotherapy, and whether this was a good time for a root canal.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2022

He was feeling sick, and was ultimately diagnosed with gallstone pancreatitis.

From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2021

It also "fortifies the stomach, comforts the bowels, reduces the gallstone to sand, the sand to mud, the mud to water—water which can be passed out of the system by the usual channels."

From South Wind by Norman Douglas

Doctors at a Los Angeles hospital were able to rule out gallstones, and on Tuesday, a representative for the “Goonies” star told The Times that they cracked the case, and Feldman is on the mend.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

Because the pearls are denser than surrounding tissue and resemble small stones, they can sometimes complicate diagnosis by mimicking kidney or gallstones.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 1, 2026

Cases include electrocution, drowning, overdose, scurvy, sickle cell anemia, a nail in the chest, a fastball in the eye and gallstones, with all the personal drama one expects from a hospital show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025

He said under the right supervision the medicine "can make a massive difference" but the side effects can range from nausea, constipation and diarrhoea, to more sinister things such as pancreatitis and gallstones.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025

She examined him, observed his fever, his red eyes, his jaundice, his abdominal pain, and came up with nothing definite, but wondered if he had gallstones or a liver abscess.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston