diarrhea
/ˌdaɪ.əˈɹiː.ə/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.55 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A gastrointestinal disorder characterized by frequent and very soft or watery bowel movements.
Canadian usage; American usage; Countable; Uncountable
noun
The watery or very soft excrement that comes from such bowel movements.
Canadian usage; American usage; Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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?"
- "I looked and saw that she and her hammock were covered in diarrhea."
- "Why was she covered in diarrhea?"
Etymology
From Middle English diaria, from Middle French diarrie (French diarrhée), from Late Latin diarrhoea, from Ancient Greek διάρροια (diárrhoia, “through-flowing”), from διά (diá, “through”) + ῥέω (rhéō, “flow”). By surface analysis, dia- + -rrhea. Spelling later altered to resemble the word's Latin and Greek roots. Displaced native Old English ūtsiht (literally “straining out”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˌdaɪ.əˈɹiː.ə/
Usage
- Canadian usage
- American usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
poop water
the runs
the shits
the squirts
the trots
the squits
the skitters
loose motion
bubble guts
craps
diarrhea
dysentery