meconium

[ mi-koh-nee-uhm ]

noun
  1. the first fecal excretion of a newborn child, composed chiefly of bile, mucus, and epithelial cells.

  2. fecal mass released at pupation by the larvae of some insects.

  1. the milky sap of the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy; crude opium.

Origin of meconium

1
1595–1605; <Latin <Greek mēkṓnion, diminutive of mḗkōn poppy

Words Nearby meconium

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

How to use meconium in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for meconium

meconium

/ (mɪˈkəʊnɪəm) /


noun
  1. the dark green mucoid material that forms the first faeces of a newborn infant

  2. opium or the juice from the opium poppy

Origin of meconium

1
C17: from New Latin, from Latin: poppy juice (used also of infant's excrement because of similarity in colour), from Greek mēkōneion, from mēkōn poppy

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