Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Hernia"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Hernia \Her"ni*a\, n.; pl. E. {Hernias}, L. {Herni[ae]}. [L.]
(Med.)
A protrusion, consisting of an organ or part which has
escaped from its natural cavity, and projects through some
natural or accidental opening in the walls of the latter; as,
hernia of the brain, of the lung, or of the bowels. Hernia of
the abdominal viscera in most common. Called also {rupture}.
{Strangulated hernia}, a hernia so tightly compressed in some
part of the channel through which it has been protruded as
to arrest its circulation, and produce swelling of the
protruded part. It may occur in recent or chronic hernia,
but is more common in the latter.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
hernia
n : rupture in smooth muscle tissue through which a bodily
structure protrudes [syn: {herniation}]
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