Defecation
/ˌdɛfəˈkeɪʃən/noun
The act of expelling feces from the body.
Did you know?Defecation comes from Latin *defaecare*, originally meaning “to remove the dregs” or “to clarify wine,” so the word began in the world of ritual cleansing and purification, not toilets.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₁-
“to put, place, set”
Latin
Latin
faex, faecis
“sediment, dregs, lees”
Late Latin
Latin
defaecāre
“to clear of dregs; to clarify”
Old French
Old French
defequer / defecacion
“to cleanse; cleansing, removal of dregs”
16th Century
English
defecation
“the act of purging or clarifying; later, evacuation of the bowels”
Modern English
English
defecation
“the act of passing feces”