sigmoid colon

noun

: the contracted and crooked part of the colon immediately above the rectum

called also sigmoid flexure

Examples of sigmoid colon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Transverse colon Ascending colon Descending colon Sigmoid colon The rectum, where rectal cancer originates, is located below the sigmoid colon. Corey Whelan, Verywell Health, 15 Aug. 2024 To identify such a sign, the contractile activity of sigmoid colon was recorded percutaneously in 48 healthy infants. Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019 Francis suffers from diverticulitis, a condition in the sigmoid colon in which saclike bulges on the colon walls become repeatedly inflamed or infected and can warrant surgical intervention, according to Dr. Feza Remzi, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at NYU Langone Health. BostonGlobe.com, 5 July 2021 Francis suffers from diverticulitis, a condition in the sigmoid colon in which saclike bulges on the colon walls become repeatedly inflamed or infected and can warrant surgical intervention, according to Dr. Feza Remzi, the director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at NYU Langone Health. New York Times, 4 July 2021 An emergency exploratory laparotomy was performed which revealed a 4-cm perforation in the sigmoid colon. Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 17 Sep. 2012 Proctosigmoiditis: This is inflammation that affects both the rectum and the sigmoid colon, which is the lower end of the colon. Kathryn Watson, SELF, 24 Mar. 2022 Sometimes, tiny pouches can form in your gastrointestinal tract—usually in the lower part of the colon called the sigmoid colon, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Karen Pallarito, Health.com, 4 Nov. 2021 Normally, that stool will be evacuated, but when you get constipated, that stool builds up in your colon—often the sigmoid colon, which is at the very end of your digestive system right before your rectum—and blocks the flow. Colleen Stinchcombe, Health.com, 8 Oct. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sigmoid colon was in 1896

Dictionary Entries Near sigmoid colon

Cite this Entry

“Sigmoid colon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sigmoid%20colon. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

sigmoid colon

noun
: the contracted and crooked part of the colon immediately above the rectum

called also pelvic colon, sigmoid flexure

More from Merriam-Webster on sigmoid colon

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!