mesentery
UK /ˈmɛs.ən.təɹ.i/ · US /ˈmɛz.ənˌtɛɹ.i/ noun
Forms mesenteries
- noun (anatomy) The membrane that attaches the intestines to the wall of the abdomen, maintaining their position in the abdominal cavity, and supplying them with blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics.
Etymology
From Late Latin mesenterium, from Ancient Greek μεσεντέρῐον (mesentérĭon), from μέσος (mésos, “middle”) + ἔντερον (énteron, “gut”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The membranes, or one of the membranes (consisting of a fold of the peritoneum and inclosed tissues), which connect the intestines and their appendages with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity.
- noun One of the vertical muscular radiating partitions which divide the body cavity of Anthozoa into chambers.
Etymology [Gr. mésentère.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mesentery”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details