diarrhea
English
Etymology
From Middle English diaria, from Middle French diarrie (French diarrhée),[1] from Late Latin diarrhoea, from Ancient Greek διάρροια (diárrhoia, “through-flowing”), from διά (diá, “through”) + ῥέω (rhéō, “flow”). By surface analysis, dia- + -rrhea. Spelling later altered to resemble the word's Latin and Greek roots.
Displaced native Old English ūtsiht (literally “straining out”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˌdaɪ.əˈɹiː.ə/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -iːə
Noun
diarrhea (countable and uncountable, plural diarrheas) (American spelling, Canadian spelling)
- A gastrointestinal disorder characterized by frequent and very soft or watery bowel movements.
- The watery or very soft excrement that comes from such bowel movements.
- 2008, Danna Korn and Connie Sarros, Gluten-Free Cooking for Dummies, Chapter 1:
- My Pampers bill is higher than your paycheck, my hands are raw from washing them every six minutes, and I do eight loads of laundry a day because everything we own is covered in diarrhea, and you want me to "plug him up" and wait another three weeks?
- 2014, L. A. Knight, Dog Training the American Male, page 221:
- Why was she covered in diarrhea?
- 2008, Danna Korn and Connie Sarros, Gluten-Free Cooking for Dummies, Chapter 1:
Usage notes
- Diarrhea is the American spelling; diarrhoea is the British spelling.
Synonyms
- (medical condition): the runs, the shits, the squirts (US), the trots, the squits (both UK), the skitters (Scottish and Northern English) (all slang)
- See also Thesaurus:diarrhea, bubble guts
Hyponyms
- Montezuma's revenge (informal)
- Pharaoh's revenge (informal)
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
medical condition
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watery excrement
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See also
References
- “dīarīa, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved June 5, 2022.
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