defecation

noun

def·​e·​ca·​tion ˌde-fi-ˈkā-shən 

1

: the discharge of solid waste from the anus : the act or process of defecating

To meet the clinical definition of IBS [irritable bowel syndrome], you must have had 12 weeks … of abdominal pain or discomfort within the past year, associated with relief with defecation and a change in the form or frequency of stool.

—Food and Fitness Advisor

2

: feces, excrement

At first it was believable because, as Gov. Mario Cuomo said at the outset, "She's covered with defecation, her hair is shorn … "

—Ellen Goodman

William Allen Livingston lost several ounces of urine and defecation when the fusillade of .38 caliber and .00 buckshot devastated him …

—Joseph Wambaugh

Examples of defecation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scientists and marine experts note the crucial role of whales in the ocean’s carbon cycle, acting as fertilizer pumps by consuming nutrients from the deep sea and releasing them at the surface through defecation. —Jared Formanek, CNN, 14 June 2024

That is unsanitary and unsafe, as is public urination or defecation. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2024

Sign up Landfills are also a significant contributor, because of methane released by decomposing food waste, but the second biggest emitter is through the burping and defecation of livestock. —Richard Windsor, The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Apr. 2024

Urination, defecation, and secretions of a sweat gland unique to elephants known as the temporal gland was also present in 71 percent of greetings. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 9 May 2024

In her plan, the African diaspora to build pay-to-use toilets across the town, to tackle open defecation, and would receive a return on their investment from the fees. —Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 25 Feb. 2024

Open defecation and urination create public health risks. —Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2024

Kenneth Halberg The rectums of most mammals and insects absorb any remaining nutrients and water from the body's waste products prior to defecation. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2023

And most importantly, 361 public toilets have been built, connected to the new sewers, to reduce the rate of open defecation. —Oliver Franklin-Wallis, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

defecation

noun

def·​e·​ca·​tion

variants or chiefly British defaecation

ˌdef-i-ˈkā-shən 

: discharge of feces