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rectum

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rec⋅tum

  [rek-tuhm]
Use rectum in a Sentence
–noun, plural -tums, -ta  [-tuh] . Anatomy.
the comparatively straight, terminal section of the intestine, ending in the anus.

Origin:
1535–45; < NL rēctum (intestīnum) the straight (intestine)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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rec·tum   (rěk'təm)   
n.   pl. rec·tums or rec·ta (-tə)
The terminal portion of the large intestine, extending from the sigmoid colon to the anal canal.

[Middle English, from Latin (intestīnum) rēctum, straight (intestine), neuter of rēctus; see reg- 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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Cultural Dictionary

rectum

The outermost portion of the large intestine. Feces are stored in the rectum until they are passed out of the body through the anus.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

rectum 
1541, from L. intestinum rectum "straight intestine," in contrast to the convolution of the rest of the bowels, from neut. pp. of regere "to straighten" (see right). A loan-translation of Gk. apeuthysmeon enteron, "the name given to the lowest part of the large intestine by Galen, who so called it because he dissected only animals whose rectum (in contradistinction to that of man) is really straight" [Klein]. Adj. form rectal first recorded 1872.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: rec·tum
Pronunciation: 'rek-t&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural rectums or rec·ta /-t&/
: the terminal part of the intestine from the sigmoid flexure to the anus
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

rectum rec·tum (rěk'təm)
n. pl. rec·tums or rec·ta (-tə)
The terminal portion of the large intestine, extending from the sigmoid flexure to the anal canal.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
rectum   (rěk'təm)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural rectums or recta
The last section of the digestive tract, extending from the colon to the anus, in which feces is stored for elimination from the body.

rectal adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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