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Glite Dictionary
trichobezoar

trichobezoar

9.9
A hard ball of swallowed hair in the stomach or intestines
  • noun
  • /ˌtrɪkəˈbiːzoʊr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : triquebezar
  • Persistent hair pulling and ingestion can lead to the formation of a trichobezoar.

Examples

  • The doctor diagnosed her with a trichobezoar.

  • Veterinarians often treat cats for trichobezoars caused by excessive self-grooming.

  • The surgeon removed a large trichobezoar from the patient's stomach.

  • He had a large trichobezoar removed from his stomach.

  • When a person swallows hair, it can lead to a trichobezoar forming in their digestive system.

  • Doctors diagnosed her with a trichobezoar after she complained of severe stomach pain.

  • A trichobezoar, which is a mass of hair, can block the intestines and require surgical removal.

Synonyms

hairball
vstrichobezoar
20 3.2

A small ball of hair in an animal's stomach that cats cough up

refers to a similar compact hair mass forming after swallowing hair in humans

Surface Forms

trichobezoar singular
trichobezoars plural

Morphology

trichobezoar = bezoar (semi-transparent) = tricho + bezoar

The formation 'tricho-' (hair) + 'bezoar' (a stomach mass) yields the literal meaning 'hair mass', but the combining form 'tricho-' and the word 'bezoar' are technical/rare and may be unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

Trichobezoar breaks into tricho- meaning 'hair' and bezoar meaning 'a hard mass found in the stomach'. So a trichobezoar is a lump of swallowed hair that forms in the stomach.