Coeliac

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈsiːlɪæk/

Definitions

1. A person with a condition which causes an adverse reaction to gluten present in food experiences symptoms that affect digestion, nutrition absorption, and overall health
2. An individual diagnosed with a disease characterized by inflammation and damage to the small intestine due to gluten consumption faces challenges in dietary management and lifestyle adaptation
3. Someone suffering from a disorder that triggers immune responses damaging the intestinal lining upon gluten intake endures both physical discomfort and dietary restrictions

Etymology: The Greek physician Galen, writing in the second century, used "koiliakos" for anything relating to the belly, and the word passed into Latin as "coeliacus" with the same bodily sense. The root is "koilia", meaning "belly" or "hollow", which also gives us "coelom", the body cavity that holds the internal organs. The medical sense came much later. English adopted the word for the digestive tract's abdominal region, and it was eventually applied to the disease now called coeliac disease, a condition in which gluten damages the lining of the small intestine. The name reflects the belly-centred anatomy that ancient physicians used as their reference point, so the modern diagnosis is built on a label that has barely changed in two thousand years. Note that "coeliac" is an adjective here, describing the disease or the person affected by it, and "coeliac" is the British spelling; American usage typically writes "celiac".

Synonyms: celiac