/ˈkōlən/
Noun, pl. colons
1. The last part of the digestive system in most vertebrates. It extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body and is the site in which flora-aided (largely bacterial) fermentation of unabsorbed material occurs. Unlike the small intestine, the colon does not play a major role in absorption of foods and nutrients. However, the colon does absorb water, sodium and some fat soluble vitamins. (wikipedia.org)
2. The part of the large intestine between the cecum and the rectum; it extracts moisture from food residues before they are excreted. (wordnetweb.princeton.edu)
3. The main part of the large intestine, which passes from the cecum to the rectum and absorbs water and electrolytes from food that has remained undigested. Its parts are called the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon. (Google Dictionary)
4. This structure has 6 major divisions: caecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon and rectum. The total length is approximately 5 feet in the adult and it is responsible for forming, storing and expelling waste matter. (biology-online.org)
Syn: Large intestine
Word origin: From Greek kolon (with a short initial -o-) “large intestine, food, meat,” of unknown origin.