noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The membrane that attaches the intestines to the wall of the abdomen, maintaining their position in the abdominal cavity, and supplying them with blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics.
2. 2
   a double layer of peritoneum that attaches to the back wall of the abdominal cavity and supports the small intestines wordnet

Etymology

From Late Latin mesenterium, from Ancient Greek μεσεντέρῐον (mesentérĭon), from μέσος (mésos, “middle”) + ἔντερον (énteron, “gut”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.