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Glite Dictionary
transverse colon

transverse colon

1 5.5
A part of the large intestine that runs across the upper belly from right to left
  • noun
  • /trænsˈvɜrs ˈkoʊlən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : colon transverso
  • The surgeon carefully examined the transverse colon during the operation to check for any abnormalities.

Examples

  • After the meal, the doctor explained that food passes through the transverse colon before it moves to the descending colon.

  • Its other edge is attached to the transverse colon.

    Blog text (33)

  • Remove the ascending colon from the transverse colon.

    Flatliners (1990)

  • - Splenic flexure of the transverse colon.

    Punchline (1988)

  • During the anatomy class, we learned that the transverse colon connects the ascending colon and the descending colon.

Surface Forms

transverse colon singular
transverse colons plural

Morphology

transverse + colon

The meaning 'the part of the large intestine that passes horizontally across the abdomen' is directly and transparently derivable from combining 'transverse' (crosswise) with 'colon' (large intestine), so the phrase denotes the colon segment running horizontally. This compositional anatomical naming is common cross-linguistically (e.g., Spanish 'colon transverso') and therefore predictable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents, even if the term is somewhat technical.

Etymology

Transverse colon comes from a simple picture: the word transverse means 'across' and colon is the 'large intestine'. So the transverse colon is the part that runs across the belly from the right side to the left side and connects the right and left parts of the colon.