gallstone

[ gawl-stohn ]
See synonyms for gallstone on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an abnormal stonelike mass, usually of cholesterol, formed in the gallbladder or bile passages.

Origin of gallstone

1
First recorded in 1750–60; gall1 + stone
  • Also called biliary calculus.

Words Nearby gallstone

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

How to use gallstone in a sentence

  • Another journal tells of a new gallstone cure that never fails to cause the stones to be passed even if they are big as walnuts.

  • Hysteria will imitate nearly every form of cramp, including even those due to gallstone and kidney calculus.

    Psychotherapy | James J. Walsh

British Dictionary definitions for gallstone

gallstone

/ (ˈɡɔːlˌstəʊn) /


noun
  1. pathol a small hard concretion of cholesterol, bile pigments, and lime salts, formed in the gall bladder or its ducts: Also called: bilestone

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 gallstone

gallstone

[ gôlstōn′ ]


  1. A small, hard, abnormal mass composed chiefly of cholesterol, calcium salts, and bile pigments, formed in the gallbladder or in a bile duct. The presence of gallstones can lead to painful obstruction or infection and is sometimes treated with cholecystectomy.

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

Cultural definitions for gallstone

gallstone

A hard, pebblelike material deposited in the gallbladder or bile ducts by the process of chemical precipitation. Gallstones can cause considerable pain and can even obstruct the flow of bile from the gallbladder. On some occasions, the entire gallbladder must be removed by surgery.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.