Cecum
/ˈsiːkəm/noun
The pouch at the beginning of the large intestine, connecting the ileum to the colon.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin caecus, meaning “blind” or “covered,” because this intestinal pouch ends in a closed pocket rather than an open tube.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
caecum
“a blind or closed pouch; the blind gut”
Classical Latin
Latin
caecus
“blind, dark, covered”
Late Latin
Latin
caecum intestinum
“the blind intestine”
Middle English
English
cecum
“a medical/anatomical term for the blind gut”
Modern English
English
cecum
“the first pouch of the large intestine”