colostomy

American  

[kuh-los-tuh-mee] / kəˈlɒs tə mi /

noun

Surgery.

plural

colostomies

1. the construction of an artificial opening from the colon through the abdominal wall, thus bypassing a diseased portion of the lower intestine and permitting the passage of intestinal contents.

2. the opening so constructed.

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colostomy British  

/ kəˈlɒstəmɪ /

noun

1. the surgical formation of an opening from the colon onto the surface of the body, which functions as an anus

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colostomy Scientific  

/ kə-lŏs′tə-mē /

1. Surgical construction of an opening from the colon through the abdominal wall to the outside of the body for the purpose of excretion.

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Etymology

Origin of colostomy

First recorded in 1885–90; colo- + -stomy

Example Sentences

She underwent a colostomy operation, where the bowel is diverted out onto the abdomen, in 2020.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2023

Another resident did not have her colostomy bag attached.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2023

When the tumor was still stuck to my colon after chemo, I said no to another surgery, especially one that could leave me with a colostomy bag.

From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2023

In “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” Matthew Perry gets serious about sobriety, mortality, colostomy bags and pickleball.

From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2022

I pictured a handsome French doctor explaining the standard colostomy procedure, and then I disappointed the woman at the gate by pulling out my wallet.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris