Peritoneum

Peritoneum
The membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and covers most of the abdominal organs. (From the Greek peri- meaning around + tonos meaning a stretching = a stretching around).
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The serous sac, consisting of mesothelium and a thin layer of irregular connective tissue, that lines the abdominal cavity and covers most of the viscera contained therein; it forms two sacs: the peritoneal (or greater) sac and the omental bursa (lesser sac) connected by the epiploic foramen. SYN: membrana abdominis. [Mod. L. fr. G. peritonaion, fr. periteino, to stretch over]
- parietal p. [TA] the layer of p. lining the abdominal walls. SYN: p. parietale [TA].
- p. parietale [TA] SYN: parietal p..
- urogenital p. [TA] p. of the pelvic cavity, including the folds and fossae formed by it. SYN: p. urogenitale [TA].
- p. urogenitale [TA] SYN: urogenital p..
- visceral p. [TA] the layer of p. investing the abdominal organs. SYN: p. viscerale [TA].
- p. viscerale [TA] SYN: visceral p..

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peri·to·ne·um or chiefly Brit peri·to·nae·um .per-ət-ən-'ē-əm n, pl -ne·ums or chiefly Brit -nae·ums -'ē-əmz or -nea or chiefly Brit -naea -'ē-ə the smooth transparent serous membrane that lines the cavity of the abdomen of a mammal, is folded inward over the abdominal and pelvic viscera, and consists of an outer layer closely adherent to the walls of the abdomen and an inner layer that folds to invest the viscera see PARIETAL PERITONEUM, VISCERAL PERITONEUM compare MESENTERY (1)

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n.
the serous membrane of the abdominal cavity. The parietal peritoneum lines the walls of the abdomen, and the visceral peritoneum covers the abdominal organs. See also mesentery, omentum.
peritoneal adj.

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peri·to·ne·um (per″ĭ-to-neґəm) [L., from Gr. peritonaion, from per around + teinein to stretch] [TA] the serous membrane lining the abdominopelvic walls (parietal p.) and investing the viscera (visceral p.). A strong, colorless membrane with a smooth surface, it forms a double-layered sac that is closed in the male and is continuous with the mucous membrane of the uterine tubes in the female. The potential space between the parietal and visceral peritoneum is called the peritoneal cavity (see cavitas peritonealis [TA]). peritoneal adj

Course of the peritoneum (gray) in a median sagittal section of a female.


Medical dictionary. 2011.

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Peritoneum — Per i*to*ne um, n. [L. peritoneum, peritonaeum, Gr. ?, ?, fr. ? to stretch all around or over; ? around + ? to stretch.] (Anat.) The smooth serous membrane which lines the cavity of the abdomen, or the whole body cavity when there is no diaphragm …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Peritoneum — ⇒ Bauchfell …   Deutsch wörterbuch der biologie

  • peritoneum — 1540s, from L.L. peritonaeum (c.420), from Gk. peritonaion abdominal membrane, lit. part stretched over, from neut. of peritonaios stretched over, from peri around (see PERI (Cf. peri )) + teinein to stretch (see TENET (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • peritoneum — peritonèum m DEFINICIJA anat. tanka ovojnica koja s unutrašnje strane pokriva trbušnu šupljinu i prelazi na neke trbušne organe; potrbušnica ETIMOLOGIJA lat. peritonaeum ← grč. peritónaion ≃ peri + teínein: napinjati …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • peritoneum — ► NOUN (pl. peritoneums or peritonea) ▪ the membrane lining the cavity of the abdomen and covering the abdominal organs. DERIVATIVES peritoneal adjective. ORIGIN Latin, from peritonos stretched round …   English terms dictionary

  • peritoneum — [per΄ə tə nē′əm] n. pl. peritonea [per΄ə tə nē′ə] or peritoneums [LL < Gr peritonaion < peri , around + teinein, to stretch: see THIN] the transparent serous membrane lining the abdominal cavity and reflected inward at various places to… …   English World dictionary

  • Peritoneum — Infobox Anatomy Name = Peritoneum Latin = GraySubject = 246 GrayPage = 1149 Caption = The peritoneum, coloured in blue Caption2 = The epiploic foramen, greater sac or general cavity (red) and lesser sac, or omental bursa (blue). (Areas outlined… …   Wikipedia

  • Peritoneum — Das Peritoneum (von griech. peritonaion „das Ausgespannte“) oder Bauchfell kleidet als seröse Haut den Bauchraum aus. Es umgibt die meisten inneren Organe unterhalb des Zwerchfells bis zum Eingang des kleinen Beckens. Es ist durch ein… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • peritoneum — n. the serous membrane of the abdominal cavity (see illustration). The parietal peritoneum lines the walls of the abdomen, and the visceral peritoneum covers the abdominal organs. See also mesentery, omentum. Derivatives: peritoneal adj …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • peritoneum — (plural peritonea)) a membrane covering the body cavity (coelomic cavity) including the viscera. Often its color, light, speckled or black is of taxonomic significance. There are visceral and parietal peritonea, q.v. A black peritoneum may… …   Dictionary of ichthyology

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