ileum
Americannoun
-
ilea
plural
-
Anatomy. the third and lowest division of the small intestine, extending from the jejunum to the cecum.
-
Zoology. the anterior portion of the hindgut of an insect or other arthropod.
noun
-
the part of the small intestine between the jejunum and the caecum
-
the corresponding part in insects
-
ilea
plural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ileum
1675–85; < New Latin, Medieval Latin īleum, variant of Latin īlia (neuter plural) side of the body between hips and groin, guts, apparently by confusion with Latin īleus ileus
Compare meaning
How does ileum compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing ileum
Nutrition and Digestion - High School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Nutrition and Digestion - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In particular, the investigative team analyzed colon, ileum, stool, and blood samples from people living with chronic HIV infection and well-matched controls.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 21, 2024
Notably, they observed a connection between accelerated biological aging and the microbiomes of both the colon and ileum, but not the fecal microbiome.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 21, 2024
Amino acids are absorbed through the intestinal lining of the ileum.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The ileum ends and the large intestine begins at the ileocecal valve.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The alimentary mucous membrane, especially that of the lower ileum and cæcum, is exposed to infection by swallowed sputum and by food materials, such as milk, containing tubercle bacilli.
From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Alexis Thomson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
