虫垂

See also: 蟲垂

Japanese
虫垂 (chūsui): an illustration from Gray's Anatomy, showing the appendix as the worm-shaped portion at lower right, labeled “vermiform process”.
Kanji in this term
虫 垂
ちゅう
Grade: 1		 すい
Grade: 6
kan’on

Etymology

Appears to be a coinage in Japanese as a compound of 虫 (chū, “worm”) +‎ 垂 (sui, “appendix (anatomy)”), replacing earlier 虫様突起 (chūyō tokki, “vermiform process”).[1]

It seems that the 突起 (tokki, “protrusion; protuberance; process”) portion in the older term was first replaced with 垂 (sui, “dangling; hanging (from something); appendix”) as 虫様垂 (chūyō sui, literally “worm-shaped dangling → vermiform appendix”), which in turn was shortened to modern 虫垂 (chūsui).

Compare Dutch wormvormig aanhangsel, English vermiform appendix.

Pronunciation

Noun

虫垂 (hiragana ちゅうすい, rōmaji chūsui)

  1. (anatomy) an appendix, a vermiform appendix
    Synonyms: 虫様垂 (chūyō sui) (rare), 虫様突起 (chūyō tokki) (dated), 盲腸 (mōchō) (informal)

Usage notes

In informal usage, the term 盲腸 (mōchō) is more common. In medical contexts, 虫垂 (chūsui) is preferred, as 盲腸 (mōchō) refers more specifically to the caecum instead of the appendix.

Derived terms

References
  1. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
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