abdominal

American  

[ab-dom-uh-nl] / æbˈdɒm ə nl /

adjective

1. of, in, on, or for the abdomen.

   abdominal wall; abdominal pains.

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noun

1. Informal. Usually abdominals. the abdominal muscles.

Other Word Forms

• abdominally adverb
• postabdominal adjective

Etymology

Origin of abdominal

1740–50; < Latin abdōmin-, stem of abdōmen abdomen + -al ¹

Explanation

Anything abdominal relates to the midsection of your body, just below your chest and above your pelvis. Abdominal muscles are sometimes called “abs” and they’re the muscles in your abdomen. All abdominal things relate to the belly area. If your stomach hurts, you have abdominal pain. Sit-ups are abdominal exercises. Do enough sit-ups and you'll have washboard abs because the rippled muscles look like, well, a washboard. Any stomach surgery is a type of abdominal surgery. Sometimes abdominal is used as a noun that’s short for abdominal muscle.

Example Sentences

Mr. Hemming writes that upon Miller’s death, doctors found 23 battle scars, a large wound on his right abdominal cartilage, two rifle balls lodged in his liver, and mutilated fingers on his left hand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

In Georgia, 31-year-old Alexia Moore went to the hospital with severe abdominal pain.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

He entered the program with a history of gastrointestinal issues and abdominal surgeries.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

These findings suggest that certain breathing patterns, particularly those involving strong abdominal muscle use, can contribute to elevated blood pressure.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

In some mutants, whole segments of the embryo disappeared, or the thorax or abdominal compartments were drastically shortened—analogous to a human fetus born with no middle or with no hind segment.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• intestinal
• visceral