Chyme
/kaɪm/noun
The semifluid mass of partially digested food expelled from the stomach into the small intestine.
Did you know?Chyme comes from Greek khumós, meaning “juice” or “sap,” the same root behind words tied to fluidity, flow, and bodily transformation.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
khymós
“juice, sap, or fluid matter”
Late Greek
Greek
khymós
“bodily fluid or digestive juice”
Late Latin
Latin
chymus
“digestive juice or fluid”
16th Century
English
chyme
“digestive fluid or semidigested matter”
Modern English
English
chyme
“the semifluid mass of partly digested food in the digestive tract”