Mesentery
/ˈmɛs.ənˌtɛr.i/noun
A fold of tissue that attaches the intestines to the abdominal wall and helps support them.
Did you know?Mesentery comes from Greek medical anatomy, where it meant the membrane ‘in the middle of the intestines,’ and modern science only recently recognized it as a continuous organ-like structure.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
mesentérion
“the membrane in the middle of the intestines”
Late Latin
Latin
mesenterium
“the mesentery, the fold of membrane supporting the intestines”
Old French
OF
mesentere
“mesentery”
Middle English
English
mesentery
“the fold of tissue attaching the intestines to the abdominal wall”
Modern English
English
mesentery
“the fold of tissue attaching the intestines to the abdominal wall”