flatulence

flatulence
flat·u·lence (flăchʹə-ləns) n.
1. The presence of excessive gas in the digestive tract.
2. Self-importance; pomposity.

* * *

      the presence of excessive amounts of gas in the stomach or intestine, which sometimes results in the expulsion of the gas through the anus. Healthy individuals produce significant amounts of intestinal gas (flatus) daily; without rectal release, gases trapped within the digestive system produce bloating and abdominal distention. Although a normal occurrence, flatulence sometimes causes embarrassment because of the sound and fetid odour of the gases.

      Intestinal gas comes from either swallowed air (nitrogen and oxygen) or the fermentation by bacteria of poorly digested carbohydrates in the colon, yielding a mixture of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane. All the common intestinal gases are odourless; about 1 percent of the flatus consists of a mixture of other gases that causes the distinctive odour. Foods with high proportions of nondigestible carbohydrates, such as beans and other legumes, are associated with excessive flatulence; unusual flatulence not associated with specific dietary causes may indicate intestinal malabsorption or other disease processes.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:
(in the bowels)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • flatulence — [ flatylɑ̃s ] n. f. • 1747; de flatulent ♦ Accumulation de gaz dans les intestins, se traduisant par un ballonnement abdominal et des flatuosités. ⇒ météorisme. ● flatulence nom féminin (de flatulent) Accumulation de gaz dans le tube digestif. ●… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Flatulence — Flat u*lence, Flatulency Flat u*len*cy, n. [Cf. F. flatulence.] The state or quality of being flatulent. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • flatulence — (n.) 1711, from Fr. flatulence, from flatulent (see FLATULENT (Cf. flatulent)). Flatulency is from 1650s …   Etymology dictionary

  • flatulence — index bombast Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Flatulence — German peasants greet the fire and brimstone from a papal bull of Pope Paul III in …   Wikipedia

  • Flatulence — Une flatulence est la production de gaz gastro intestinaux, provoquant des ballonnements, accumulés dans l intestin ou l estomac et expulsés hors du corps de façon volontaire ou involontaire par l anus ou la bouche[1]. On trouve deux étymologies… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • flatulence —    [Some have suggested that this is an appropriate place to define flatulence. ArtLex doubts greatly that it is necessary to explain how this term is employed in art contexts. However, for those who will find such information useful, flatulence… …   Glossary of Art Terms

  • flatulence — noun 1) medications that help with flatulence Syn: (intestinal) gas, wind; informal farting, tooting; formal flatus 2) the flatulence of his latest recordings Syn: pomposity, pompousness, pretension, pretentiousness, grandiloquence, bombast …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • Flatulence — Excess gas in the intestinal tract. But what is excess flatulence is difficult to define without a yardstick to measure the "normal" frequency of gas passages. Symptom free individuals have recorded approximately 14 passages of gas per… …   Medical dictionary

  • flatulence — [[t]flæ̱tʃʊləns[/t]] N UNCOUNT Flatulence is too much gas in a person s intestines, which causes an uncomfortable feeling. Syn: wind …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”