Ventration

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The exposure or protrusion of abdominal organs through an opening in the abdominal wall
2. A condition in which internal organs become visible or displaced through a break in the belly wall
3. The state of having abdominal contents exposed or protruding through an aperture in the abdominal wall

Etymology: "Ventration" is a rare English noun meaning the act of ventilating, or the state of being aired or exposed to fresh air. It is formed from the verb "ventilate" with the suffix "-ation", which turns a verb into a noun for an action or process. "Ventilate" itself comes from Latin "ventilare", meaning to fan or blow air upon, from "ventus", wind. The Latin verb was used both for fanning and, figuratively, for airing out a matter so it could be examined openly, a sense that English "ventilate" also took on in the 1600s. Because "ventration" is a derivative built on a well-established base, its history is mostly the history of its parts. Its first recorded use and exact dating are uncertain to me, and it is much less common than "ventilation", which is the usual form in modern English.