abdomen

Where does the word "abdomen" come from? It comes from Latin abdomen, and was adopted directly into English (1540s).

Abdomen’s story begins in Latin: abdomen meant “the belly.” The belly, the fatty part of the body. It reached English by 1540s as abdomen. Brought in by Renaissance anatomists writing in Latin, alongside the native word 'belly'. Today, abdomen means the part of the body between the chest and pelvis, containing the digestive organs.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient abdomen "the belly", the belly, the fatty part of the body.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1540s abdomen "the belly region of the body", brought in by Renaissance anatomists writing in Latin, alongside the native word 'belly'.