meconium

noun
me·​co·​ni·​um | \ mi-ˈkō-nē-əm How to pronounce meconium (audio) \

Definition of meconium

: a dark greenish mass that accumulates in the bowel during fetal life and is discharged shortly after birth

Examples of meconium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When Strube-Bohaty was an infant, she was diagnosed with meconium ileus, a bowel obstruction that occurs when a child’s intestines become stickier than normal. Jason Duaine Hahn, PEOPLE.com, "Bride Has Dream Wedding After Undergoing Lung Transplant: 'I Felt Like Such a Princess'," 1 May 2018 The good news is that after a few days the meconium stage passes. Matt Coyne, Good Housekeeping, "50% of Caring for a Baby Is Crap," 5 Apr. 2018 The girl, who was born in March, 2015 and Noah, who was born on Jan. 6, tested positive for marijuana via a meconium screen, court records show. John Hogan, Detroit Free Press, "Mich. mom says she smoked pot, ignored son while he died in car seat," 26 July 2017 Claire was born with meconium ileus, a bowel obstruction that is a telltale sign of CF. Jessica Ravitz, CNN, "Living while dying: 'Little Buddha' wisdom from a terminally ill 'goofball'," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meconium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of meconium

circa 1706, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for meconium

Latin, literally, poppy juice, from Greek mēkōnion, from mēkōn poppy; akin to Old High German mago poppy

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More Definitions for meconium

meconium

noun
me·​co·​ni·​um | \ mi-ˈkō-nē-əm How to pronounce meconium (audio) \

Medical Definition of meconium

: a dark greenish mass of desquamated cells, mucus, and bile that accumulates in the bowel of a fetus and is typically discharged shortly after birth