abdomen
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the part of your body between your chest and your hips that contains your stomach and other organs.
the region of the body between the thorax and the pelvis, containing the digestive and reproductive organs.
Simple“The patient complained of a sharp pain in his lower abdomen after eating.”
In context“The surgeon made a small incision in the lower abdomen to access the appendix while minimizing damage to the surrounding muscle tissue.”
UsageIn medical contexts, it refers specifically to the cavity; in everyday English, 'stomach' is more common.
- 02 C1 Advanced
the back part of an insect's or spider's body.
the posterior section of the body in arthropods, located behind the thorax or cephalothorax.
Simple“You can identify this spider by the bright red spot on its abdomen.”
In context“The wasp's abdomen is connected to the thorax by a narrow waist, allowing for significant flexibility when the insect uses its stinger.”
First attested in 1541. Borrowed from Middle French abdomen, from Latin abdomen, possibly from abdō (“conceal”), from ab (“away”) + -dō (“put, place”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.