Etymology

duodenum

du·o·de·num
D2U1O1D2E1N1U1M3

Today it means: The first part of the small intestine, starting at the lower end of the stomach and extending to the jejunum. Full definition →

Medieval Latin duodēnum digitōrum
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The story

  1. Medieval Latin · derived fromduodēnum digitōrum“space of twelve digits”
  2. English todayduodenum

From Medieval Latin duodēnum digitōrum (“space of twelve digits”) in reference to its length, from duodēnī (“twelve each”) + digitōrum, genitive plural of digitus (“finger; toe; digit”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.