borborygmus

noun

bor·​bo·​ryg·​mus ˌbȯr-bə-ˈrig-məs 

plural borborygmi ˌbȯr-bə-ˈrig-ˌmī 

: intestinal rumbling caused by moving gas

Did you know?

Unless you're a gastroenterologist, chances are you never knew there was a name for those loud gurglings your belly sometimes makes. And if in looking at the word, you thought it was just some crazy coinage invented by someone who thought the word matched the rumbling sound it represented, you'd be right, in a way. We picked it up from New Latin, but it traces to the Greek verb borboryzein, which means "to rumble." It is believed that the Greek verb was coined to imitate the digestive noises made by a stomach. "Borborygmus" has been part of English for at least 250 years; its earliest known use dates from around 1724.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek borborygmos, from borboryzein to rumble

First Known Use

circa 1724, in the meaning defined above

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Medical Definition

borborygmus

noun

bor·​bo·​ryg·​mus ˌbȯr-bə-ˈrig-məs 

plural borborygmi -ˌmī 

: a rumbling sound made by the movement of gas in the intestine

borborygmic

-mik 

adjective