Meaning & use
abdomen
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablemedical
The part of the body between the chest and the pelvis, containing organs such as the stomach and intestines.
Grammar: Usually singular in anatomy; say the abdomen, not an abdomen, when referring to one person's region.
Patterns
- pain in the abdomen
- the lower abdomen
- swelling of the abdomen
She placed a hand on her abdomen and felt the baby kick.
The doctor pressed gently on his abdomen to check for tenderness.
A sharp pain in the lower abdomen made her stop running.
Word forms
| plural | abdomens |
|---|
Common combinations
- lower abdomen
- The scan found a small cyst in her lower abdomen.
- upper abdomen
- He complained of burning in the upper abdomen after meals.
- abdominal cavity
- Surgeons carefully inspected the abdominal cavity during the operation.
- swollen abdomen
- A swollen abdomen can be a sign that medical advice is needed.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- abdominal adjective
- Relating to the abdomen, as in abdominal pain.
- abdominally adverb
- In a way connected with the abdomen; rare outside clinical writing.
- abdominopelvic adjective
- Relating to the abdomen and pelvis together.
Commonly confused: abdomen or stomach?
abdomen vs stomach
The stomach is one digestive organ; the abdomen is the larger body region around it.
Practice
Which sentence uses abdomen most precisely?
Choose one answer.
Abdomen names the body region between chest and pelvis. Stomach is one organ, you break bones rather than an abdomen, and a bracelet is not normally worn there.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “abdomen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.