Jejunal
/dʒɪˈdʒuːnəl/noun
Relating to the jejunum, the middle section of the small intestine.
Did you know?The jejunum was named from Latin jejunus, meaning ‘empty’ or ‘fasting,’ because this part of the intestine was often found empty in dissections—so a medical term was literally built from the language of hunger.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*yeh₁-
“to be empty, to lack”
Latin
Latin
ieiunus / jejunus
“fasting, empty, barren”
Late Latin
Latin
jejunum (intestinum)
“the ‘empty’ intestine”
Middle English
English
jejune
“sparse, meager; later, dull or underdeveloped”
Modern English
English
jejunal
“pertaining to the jejunum”
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