jejunal

1 9.3

Relating to the middle part of the small intestine

adjective
/dʒɪˈdʒuːnəl/

Specialized

: yeyunal

Doctors examined the jejunal tissue for signs of infection after the operation.

Examples

Doctors often examine jejunal health during gastrointestinal assessments.
The jejunal lining plays a crucial role in nutrient absorption.
The surgeon performed a jejunal biopsy to diagnose the patient's digestive disorder.
A jejunal feeding tube is often used when patients cannot eat by mouth.
The jejunal section of the small intestine absorbs nutrients from food.
Doctors perform surgery to correct jejunal obstructions in patients.
A jejunal biopsy can help diagnose certain gastrointestinal disorders.

Compounds

jejunal artery

Specialized

7.0

A blood vessel that carries blood to the middle part of the small intestine

Surface Forms

jejunal positive

Morphology

jejunal = jejunum (semi-transparent) = jejun + al

The adjective is transparently formed with the productive suffix '-al', but the base noun 'jejunum' is a specialized anatomical term that most learners will not know.

Etymology

Jejunal comes from jejunum, the middle part of the small intestine. The name jejunum comes from the old Latin jejunus, meaning 'empty' or 'fasting', because early doctors often found this section empty, and it shares the same root as the English word jejune, so jejunal simply means 'relating to that middle (often empty) part' of the gut.