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rectal

American  
[rek-tl] / ˈrɛk tl /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or for the rectum.

rectal British  
/ ˈrɛktəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the rectum

"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

Other Word Forms

  • postrectal adjective
  • prerectal adjective
  • rectally adverb
  • subrectal adjective

Etymology

Origin of rectal

First recorded in 1870–75; rect(um) + -al 1

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.

The actress's death certificate said she had died of a pulmonary embolism and listed rectal cancer as a secondary factor.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

The “Relax, It’s a Blood Test” message in this year’s ad was inspired by men who avoid prostate cancer screenings because they don’t want rectal exams, Horwood said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Higher lifetime intake is tied to greater cancer risk, with rectal cancer showing the strongest association.

From Science Daily • Jan. 29, 2026

By 2014, its five-year survival rate for rectal cancer had risen to 69%, close to Australia's.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2025

The most important of these—the centres for the rectal, the vesical, and the patellar reflexes—are situated in the lumbar enlargement.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander

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.