ileum

[ il-ee-uhm ]
See synonyms for ileum on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural il·e·a [il-ee-uh]. /ˈɪl i ə/.
  1. Anatomy. the third and lowest division of the small intestine, extending from the jejunum to the cecum.

  2. Zoology. the anterior portion of the hindgut of an insect or other arthropod.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of ileum

1
1675–85; <New Latin, Medieval Latin īleum, variant of Latin īlia (neuter plural) side of the body between hips and groin, guts, apparently by confusion with Latin īleusileus

Other words from ileum

  • il·e·al, adjective

Words that may be confused with ileum

Words Nearby ileum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ileum in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ileum

ileum

/ (ˈɪlɪəm) /


noun
  1. the part of the small intestine between the jejunum and the caecum

  2. the corresponding part in insects

Origin of ileum

1
C17: New Latin, from Latin īlium, īleum flank, groin, of obscure origin

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

Scientific definitions for ileum

ileum

[ ĭlē-əm ]


Plural ilea
  1. The lower part of the small intestine, connecting the jejunum to the cecum of the large intestine.

Other words from ileum

  • ileal adjective

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.