Meanings
noungizzard (plural gizzards)
plural gizzards
- A specialized organ constructed of thick muscular walls found in the digestive tract of some animals, including archosaurs (including crocodilians and birds), earthworms, some gastropods, some fish, and some crustaceans, and used for grinding up food, often aided by particles of stone or grit.
As fortune has it, kingbirds, like owls, lack a grinding gizzard and regurgitate hard fragments from their meals.
2016, Justin O. Schmidt, The Sting of the Wild, Johns Hopkins University Press,, →ISBN, page 29 - slangThe (human) stomach.
"Pushing a man's face into his own breakfast is beyond rules or reason, and deserves a punch in the gizzard."
1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 51
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthick-walled muscular pouch below the crop in many birds and reptiles for grinding food
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latingigēria
- Old Frenchgesier
- Middle Englishgyser
- Englishgizzard
From Middle English gyser, geser, from Old French gesier, giser et al. (French gésier), from Latin gigēria.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic قَانِصَة
- قَانِصَة (qāniṣa)portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Basque arandoi
- arandoiportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Bulgarian воденичка
- воденичка (vodenička)portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Catalan pedrer
- pedrerportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Chinese Cantonese 腎 /肾
- 腎 /肾portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Chinese Mandarin 肫
- 肫 (zhūn)portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Czech svalnatý žaludek
- svalnatý žaludekportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Danish kråse
- kråseportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Dutch spiermaag
- spiermaagportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Esperanto maĉstomako, kropo
- maĉstomakoportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- kropoportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Finnish kivipiira, lihasmaha
- kivipiiraportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- lihasmahaportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- purumahaportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
French gésier
- gésierportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
German Kaumagen
- Kaumagenportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Hebrew קורקבן
- קורקבן (kurkevan)portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Hungarian zúzógyomor, zúza
- zúzógyomorportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- zúzaportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Icelandic fóarn
- fóarnportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Indonesian ampela
- ampelaportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Irish eagaois
- eagaoisportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Italian ventriglio
- ventriglioportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Japanese 砂嚢
- 砂嚢portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Korean 모래주머니
- 모래주머니 (moraejumeoni)portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Latin ingluviēs, gigēria n pl [from 2ⁿᵈ century AD]
- ingluviēsportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- gigēria n pl [from 2ⁿᵈ century AD]portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Latvian guza
- guzaportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Lithuanian skilvys, skilvis
- skilvysportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- skilvisportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Norwegian krås
- kråsportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Persian سنگدان
- سنگدانportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Polish mielec, żołądek mięśniowy
- mielecportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- żołądek mięśniowyportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Portuguese moela
- moelaportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Romanian pipotă
- pipotăportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Russian второ́й желу́док, мускульный желудок
- второ́й желу́док (vtorój želúdok)portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- мускульный желудок (muskulʹnyj želudok)portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Scottish Gaelic sgròban
- sgròbanportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Spanish molleja
- mollejaportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Swahili firigisi
- firigisiportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Swedish muskelmage
- muskelmageportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Tagalog balun-balunan
- balun-balunanportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Thai กึ๋น
- กึ๋น (gʉ̌n)portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Turkish katı, taşlık
- katıportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- taşlıkportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Ukrainian мускульний шлунок
- мускульний шлунок (muskulʹnyj šlunok)portion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Vietnamese mề
- mềportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Welsh glasog, crombil
- glasogportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
- crombilportion of the esophagus with ingested grit
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gizzard
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
gizzard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gizzard
MLA
“gizzard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gizzard. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gizzard,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gizzard.
Source: gizzard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.