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

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Etymology

Origin of gallstone

First recorded in 1750–60; gall ¹ + stone

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gallstone gallstones

But rarer and more serious ones include acute gallstone disease, pancreatitis and serious allergic reactions.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025

The TV presenter eventually asked for the gallstone back, Vistica said, and they gave it to her.

From New York Times ● Feb. 14, 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 had to have a gallstone removed, for which his doctors had given him anesthesia—a risky decision for someone with dementia—and he never quite recovered.

From Slate ● May 4, 2021

It appears to be a urio-phosphate of lime, and is of a beautiful pure yellow colour and light powdery texture; of greater body and depth than gamboge, but inferior in these respects to gallstone.

From Field's Chromatography or Treatise on Colours and Pigments as Used by Artists by Thomas Salter

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

Side effects range from nausea and diarrhoea to rarer risks such as gallstones, pancreatitis and muscle loss.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025

Always before when pain from the gallstones had got too bad, she’d had an operation.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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