duodenum
UK /ˌdjuːə(ʊ)ˈdiːnəm/ · US /ˌduəˈdinəm/ noun
Forms duodena duodenums
- noun (anatomy) The first part of the small intestine, starting at the lower end of the stomach and extending to the jejunum.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Medieval Latin duodēnum digitōrum (“space of twelve digits”) in reference to its length, from duodēnī (“twelve each”) + digitōrum, genitive plural of digitus (“finger; toe; digit”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The part of the small intestines between the stomach and the jejunum. See Illust. of Digestive apparatus, under Digestive.
Etymology [NL., fr. duodeni twelve each: cf. F. duodenum. So called because its length is about twelve fingers' breadth.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “duodenum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details