hindgut

American  

[hahynd-guht] / ˈhaɪndˌgʌt /

noun

1. Zoology.

   1. the last portion of the vertebrate alimentary canal, between the cecum and the anus, involved mainly with water resorption and with the storage and elimination of food residue; the large intestine.

   2. the posterior colon of arthropods, composed of ectodermal, chitin-lined tissue.

2. Embryology, Zoology. the posterior part of the embryonic alimentary canal from which the colon and rectum develop.

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hindgut British  

/ ˈhaɪndˌɡʌt /

noun

1. the part of the vertebrate digestive tract comprising the colon and rectum

2. the posterior part of the digestive tract of arthropods

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Etymology

Origin of hindgut

First recorded in 1875–80; hind ¹ + gut

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hindgut

In 2026, researchers highlighted images and video of western drywood termites performing proctodeal trophallaxis, a feeding behavior in which one termite receives material from another termite's hindgut.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

The idea of a deep-sea creature deserving of a new taxonomic designation inspired by the microplastic fiber in its hindgut makes you simultaneously marvel and mourn, says the fabric mask.

From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2020

The region defined as hindgut begins with the last third of the transverse colon and continues on.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

A recently discovered anaerobic fungus that is apparently specific to the hindgut of the critically endangered Somali wild ass, for example, is at risk of extinction through habitat loss before it is even formally described.

From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2012

There is, however, not the slightest indication of a tail-fold, so that there is no inclosed hindgut at all.

From Development of the Digestive Canal of the American Alligator by C. M. Reese

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