peritoneum

American  

[per-i-tuh-nee-uhm] / ˌpɛr ɪ təˈni əm /

noun

Anatomy.

PLURAL

peritoneums, peritonea

1. the serous membrane lining the abdominal cavity and investing its viscera.

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peritoneum British  

/ ˌpɛrɪtəˈniːəm /

noun

1. a thin translucent serous sac that lines the walls of the abdominal cavity and covers most of the viscera

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peritoneum Scientific  

/ pĕr′ĭ-tn-ē′əm /

PLURAL

peritonea

1. The membrane that lines the walls of the abdomen and the pelvis (called the parietal peritoneum) and encloses the abdominal and pelvic organs (called the visceral peritoneum.) The space between the two, the peritoneal cavity, fills with inflammatory cells and pus when the peritoneum becomes infected.

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Other Word Forms

• peritoneal adjective

Etymology

Origin of peritoneum

First recorded in 1535–45; from Late Latin, variant spelling of peritonaeum, from Greek peritónaion, noun use of neuter of peritónaios, synonymous derivative of perítonos “stretched round”; peri-, tone, -eous

Example Sentences

Furthermore, it’s possible that the constant recirculation of dialysis solution could strain delicate membranes and “burn out the peritoneum faster”, he says.

From Nature

William Schaffner, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University’s medical school, said another possibility is that an infection has spilled into the peritoneum, the lining of the abdomen.

From Washington Post

Indira died on Monday due to an "acute inflammation of the peritoneum" and was buried after a post-mortem.

From BBC

The mesentery is a double fold of the peritoneum, the lining of the abdominal cavity, which attaches the stomach, small intestine, colon and other organs to the abdomen.

From BBC

The mesentery is a double fold of the peritoneum, which is the lining of the abdominal cavity.

From Time

Related Words

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• heart
• rib cage