rectal

[ rek-tl ]

See synonyms for rectal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or for the rectum.

Origin of rectal

First recorded in 1870–75; rect(um) + -al¹

Other words from rectal

rec·tal·ly, adverb
post·rec·tal, adjective
pre·rec·tal, adjective
sub·rec·tal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rectal in a sentence

In another case, a whole plate of uneaten food (including nuts, hummus and raisins) was pureed and inserted rectally.
‘Rectal Feeding’ Has Nothing to Do with Nutrition, Everything to Do with Torture | Russell Saunders | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Detainees were described, in graphic detail, being rectally fed against their will.
Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon | Tim Mak | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
With an admirably straight face, Fry explained that he had fallen and “rectally ingested a lightbulb.”
Monty Python Forgot Their Lines on Opening Night, but Who Cares? | Nico Hines | July 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
On April 1, 1953, one was placed in the freezing compartment with a thermometer inserted rectally.
Life History and Ecology of the Five-lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus | Henry S. Fitch

British Dictionary definitions for rectal

rectal

/ (ˈrɛktəl) /

adjective

of or relating to the rectum

Derived forms of rectal

rectally, adverb

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

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