Caecum

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  caecum \cae"cum\, n.; pl. {C[ae]cums}, L. {C[ae]ca}. [L. caecus
     blind, invisible, concealed.] (Anat.)
     (a) A cavity open at one end, as the blind end of a canal or
         duct.
     (b) The blind part of the large intestine beyond the entrance
         of the small intestine; -- called also the {blind gut}.


         [Also spelled {cecum}.]
         [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The c[ae]cum is comparatively small in man, and ends in
           a slender portion, the vermiform appendix; but in
           herbivorous mammals it is often as large as the rest of
           the large intestine. In fishes there are often numerous
           intestinal c[ae]ca.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  caecum
       n : the cavity in which the large intestine begins and into
           which the ileum opens; "the appendix is an offshoot of
           the cecum" [syn: {cecum}, {blind gut}]
       [also: {caeca} (pl)]