abdomen

The story

1. Latin · borrowed fromabdōmen
2. Middle French · borrowed fromabdomen
3. English todayabdomen

First attested in 1541 as labdomen. Borrowed from Middle French abdomen as well as from its etymon Latin abdōmen, possibly from abdō (“conceal”), from ab (“away”) + -dō (“put, place”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• mid 16th c. – late 17th c. The fat surrounding the belly.
• from early 17th c. The belly, or that part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis, not including the back; or in some lower vertebrates, the portion between the cardiac and caudal regions.
• from early 17th c. The cavity of the belly, which is lined by the peritoneum, and contains the viscera; often restricted in humans to the part between the diaphragm and the commencement of the pelvis, the remainder being called the pelvic cavity.
• from late 18th c. The posterior section of the body, behind the thorax, in insects, crustaceans, and other Arthropoda.