Standard Lemma guide

caecotrophy

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

In certain mammals, especially rabbits and other lagomorphs, the consumption of food pellets which are naturally produced by means of digestion, retention in the caecum, and expulsion through the anus.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

Examples

  • 2008, A. Belenguer et al., "Alternative methodologies to estimate ingestion of caecotrophes in growing rabbits," Livestock Science, vol. 115, no.1, p. 13, The second group (T-2: 6 rabbits) was also fed the labelled diet but only during the last ten days of the fattening period when animals were fitted a neck collar to prevent caecotrophy.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: coprophagy

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English caecum Proto-Hellenic *thréphō Ancient Greek τρέφω (tréphō) Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek τροφή (trophḗ)der. English -trophy English caecotrophy From caecum + -trophy.