nisus
/ˈnaɪ.səs/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.80 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The contraction of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles to evacuate faeces or urine.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The godly personality of a higher order, as the telos of the nisus of moral categoriality, is the sensus plenior of the nisus to a universal communalization of perspectives."
- "The immanent nisus to completion, therefore, drives the complex to the explication of its internal relations so that they become recognizable as such."
- "1833, James O' Beirne, New Views on the Process of Defecation, and Their Application to the Pathology and Treatment of Diseases of the Stomach, Bowels, and Other Organs, quoted in 1833, John Johnson (editor), The Medico-Chirurgical Review, New Series: Volume 19 (Volume 23 of the Analytical Series), page 7, The evacuation of the rectum and bladder being completed, immediately the nisus ceases, the rectum and the sphincters return to their former state of contraction, the diaphragm reascends, carrying with it and restoring to their proper situations the liver, the stomach, the spleen, the small intestines, the cæcum, and the ascending, transverse and descending portions of the colon."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: nīsus