Standard Lemma guide

volvulus

noun · 2 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

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈvɒl.vjʊl.əs/
  • General-American: /ˈvɑl.vjəl.əs/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Obstruction of the bowel in which a loop of bowel has abnormally twisted on itself.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

abnormal twisting of the intestines (usually in the area of the ileum or sigmoid colon) resulting in intestinal obstruction

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pathology

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin volvulus (“tending to roll”).

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: преплитане на червата (preplitane na červata) — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • Finnish: suolen virhekiertymä — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • Finnish: volvulus — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • French: volvulus — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • German: Darmverschlingung — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • German: Darmverdrehung — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • Hungarian: bélcsavarodás — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • Polish: skręt kiszek — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • Polish: skręt jelit — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • Portuguese: vólvulo — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • Romanian: obstrucție intestinală — twist in a loop of the bowel
  • Romanian: ocluzie intestinală — twist in a loop of the bowel