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gizzard

[ giz-erd ]
/ ˈgɪz ərd /
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noun Zoology.
Also called ventriculus. a thick-walled, muscular pouch in the lower stomach of many birds and reptiles that grinds food, often with the aid of ingested stones or grit.
Also called gastric mill. a similar structure in the foregut of arthropods and several other invertebrates, often lined with chitin and small teeth.
the innards or viscera collectively, especially the intestine and stomach.
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Origin of gizzard

1325–75; Middle English giser<Old French giser, gezier (French gésier) <Vulgar Latin *gigerium; compare Latin gigeria, gizeria giblets, perhaps ultimately <Iranian; compare Persian jigar liver
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gizzard in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gizzard

gizzard
/ (ˈɡɪzəd) /

noun
the thick-walled part of a bird's stomach, in which hard food is broken up by muscular action and contact with grit and small stones
a similar structure in many invertebrates
informal the stomach and entrails generally

Word Origin for gizzard

C14: from Old North French guisier fowl's liver, alteration of Latin gigēria entrails of poultry when cooked, of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for gizzard

gizzard
[ gĭzərd ]

A muscular pouch behind the stomach in birds. It has a thick lining and often contains swallowed sand or grit, which helps in the mechanical breakdown of food.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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