noun
flatus
FLAY-tuhs/ˈfleɪtəs/
Gas present in or expelled from the digestive tract.
The seated woman lifts one hip as she passes flatus.
Etymology
Latin flatus meant “a blowing.” Applied to wind in the bowels, that image gives the name for intestinal gas released from the body.
In context
with spleen flatus vertigos and deliriums
More examples
- Beans can increase the amount of flatus in the intestines.
- Passing flatus after surgery can show that the bowels are working.
- Trapped flatus can cause abdominal discomfort.
Forms
flatus · flatuses
flatulence noun — Excessive gas in the digestive tract.
flatulent adjective — Having excessive gas in the digestive tract.
Similar words
- gas
- The everyday term, also used for substances outside the body.
- fart
- An informal term for gas expelled through the anus.