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Gizzard

 - 5 dictionary results

giz⋅zard

  [giz-erd]
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–noun Zoology.
1. Also called ventriculus. a thick-walled, muscular pouch in the lower stomach of many birds and reptiles that grinds food, often with the aid of ingested stones or grit.
2. Also called gastric mill. a similar structure in the foregut of arthropods and several other invertebrates, often lined with chitin and small teeth.
3. the innards or viscera collectively, esp. the intestine and stomach.
Origin:
1325–75; ME giser < OF giser, gezier (F gésier) < VL *gigerium; cf. L gigeria, gizeria giblets, perh. ult. < Iranian; cf. Pers jigar liver
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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giz·zard   (gĭz'ərd)   
n.  

  1. A modified muscular pouch behind the stomach in the alimentary canal of birds, having a thick lining and often containing ingested grit that aids in the breakdown of seeds before digestion.

  2. A similar digestive organ found in certain invertebrates, such as the earthworm.


[Alteration of Middle English giser, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *gicērium, from Latin gigēria, cooked entrails of poultry, probably from Persian jigar, liver; see ykw in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

gizzard 
"stomach of a bird," 1373, from O.Fr. giser, probably from V.L. *gicerium, from L. gigeria (neut. pl.) "cooked entrails of a fowl," a delicacy in ancient Rome. Parasitic -d added 1500s. Later extended to other animals, and, jocularly, to human beings.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: giz·zard
Pronunciation: 'giz-&rd
Function: noun
: the muscular enlargement of the alimentary canal of birds that has usually thickmuscular walls and a tough horny lining for churning and grinding the food
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Encyclopedia

gizzard

in many birds, the hind part of the stomach, especially modified for grinding food. Located between the saclike crop and the intestine, the gizzard has a thick muscular wall and may contain small stones, or gastroliths, that function in the mechanical breakdown of seeds and other foods. In this sense, the gizzard is comparable to the teeth of other animals. A few other animals, such as earthworms and some moss animals, also have gizzardlike structures.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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