hernia

American  

[hur-nee-uh] / ˈhɜr ni ə /

noun

Pathology.

• hernias,
  plural
• herniae
  plural

1. the protrusion of an organ or tissue through an opening in its surrounding walls, especially in the abdominal region.

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hernia British  

/ ˈhɜːnɪə /

noun

1. Also called: rupture.  the projection of an organ or part through the lining of the cavity in which it is normally situated, esp the protrusion of intestine through the front wall of the abdominal cavity. It is caused by muscular strain, injury, etc

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hernia Scientific  

/ hûr′nē-ə /

1. A condition in which an organ or body part, such as the intestine, protrudes through an opening in the body structure that normally contains it.

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hernia Cultural  

1. The projection of an organ or part of an organ through the wall of the structure that surrounds it. Most often, the term is applied to the protrusion of a part of the intestine that can be observed as a lump in the lower abdomen.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hernial
  adjective
• herniated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• herniae
  plural
• hernias
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hernia

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin: “a rupture”; akin to hīra “gut”; see haruspex ( def. )

Explanation

A hernia is a rip in your muscle tissue that leads to an organ protruding through the muscle. It's painful and dangerous. Your organs all have a place in your body. However, sometimes an injury causes a rip in your soft muscle tissue, pushing an organ out of its home. This injury is a hernia, which often involves the abdomen bursting through the surrounding tissue. Sometimes people get a hernia after trying to lift something too heavy. A hernia can also involve a spinal disc that gets pushed out of place. Any type of hernia is a very serious medical condition.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hernia herniae hernias

She called a neighbor, who took him to the hospital for emergency hernia surgery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

In March 2024, he underwent hernia surgery, before having the operation on his enlarged prostate in December of the same year.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

"They don't know how to look after the hernia, protect it, potentially stop it from getting bigger - so we all meet online and share our advice."

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

"But the main reason I do it now is because there's so many people that have got a hernia, that are kind of ashamed of it," she said.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

These are the used sections—broken bones, cuts, bruises, mumps, measles, backache, scarlet fever, diphtheria, rheumatism, female complaints, hernia, and of course everything to do with pregnancy and the birth of children.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Minute herniae at these openings are sometimes present.

From Glaucoma A Symposium Presented at a Meeting of the Chicago Ophthalmological Society, November 17, 1913 by Willis O. Nance

Eisenberger, who is married with two children, had a pair of hernias and put off surgery as long as he could.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernández struggled for two seasons before Dr. William Meyers discovered he suffered from not one but two sports hernias.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2024

The data, shared with the BBC's Disclosure programme, shows the patients suffered from a range of symptoms including severe malnutrition, vomiting, sepsis, hernias and haemorrhaging.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2024

Doctors not linked to the pope’s care said hernias were a known complication after previous operations and typically only become problematic when patients develop a bulge in their abdomen and experience significant pain.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2023

In such a masculine household, Tessie had begun to feel like the odd woman out and saw herself in ten years’ time imprisoned in a world of hubcaps and hernias.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• breach
• fissure
• fracture
• schism