diarrhea

Etymology

From Middle English dīarīa, from Middle French diarrie (French diarrhée), from Late Latin diarrhoea, from Ancient Greek διάρροια (diárrhoia, “through-flowing”), from διά (diá, “through”) + ῥέω (rhéō, “flow”); surface analysis, dia- + -rrhea. Spelling later altered to resemble the word's Latin and Greek roots. Displaced native Old English ūtsiht (literally “straining out”).

noun

  1. A gastrointestinal disorder characterized by frequent and very soft or watery bowel movements.
  2. The watery or very soft excrement that comes from such bowel movements.
    My Pampers bill is higher than your paycheck, my hands are raw from washing them every six minutes, and I do eight loads of laundry a day because everything we own is covered in diarrhea, and you want me to "plug him up" and wait another three weeks? 2008, Danna Korn and Connie Sarros, Gluten-Free Cooking for Dummies, Chapter 1
    I looked and saw that she and her hammock were covered in diarrhea. 2009, Daniel Everett, Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes, page 47
    Why was she covered in diarrhea? 2014, L. A. Knight, Dog Training the American Male, page 221

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