/ˈstəmək/
Noun, pl. stomachs
1. A muscular, hollow, dilated part of the digestion system which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects (mid-gut), and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication (chewing). (wikipedia.org)
2. The most dilated portion of the digestive tube, situated between the oesophagus and the beginning of the small intestine (duodenum). It lies in the upper central portion of the abdomen (above the umbilicus) and to the left of the midline. The stomach produces gastric juice (acidic) which serves to breakdown proteins. An enlarged and muscular saclike organ of the alimentary canal; the principal organ of digestion.The region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis.The region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis.Part of the vertebrate digestive system where powerful digestive enzymes are secreted into it to assist in the breakdown of foodstuff that has been freshly eaten. Essentially, the stomach prepares the food before it can be transported to the duodenum, the upper part of the small intestine. (biology-online.org)
3. An organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion. (wiktionary.org)
4. The internal organ in which the first part of digestion occurs, being (in humans and many mammals) a pear-shaped enlargement of the alimentary canal linking the esophagus to the small intestine
5. Each of four such organs in a ruminant (the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum). (Google Dictionary)
6. Any of a number of analogous organs in lower animals. (Google Dictionary)
7. The front part of the body between the chest and thighs; the belly. (Google Dictionary)
8. The stomach viewed as the seat of hunger, nausea, anxiety, or other unsettling feelings. (Google Dictionary)
9. An appetite for food or drink. (Google Dictionary)
10. A desire or inclination for something involving conflict, difficulty, or unpleasantness. (Google Dictionary)
Syn: abdomen, belly, gut, guts, tummy
Word origin: From Old French estomac, from Latin stomachus “stomach, throat,” also “pride, inclination, indignation” (which were thought to have their origin in that organ), from Greek stomachos “throat, gullet, esophagus,” literally “mouth, opening,” from stoma “mouth”. (etymonline.com)