abdominal

Everyday

1. Abdominal means to do with the abdomen, the belly part of the body between the chest and the hips. tree →
2. Abdominals (or «abs», informal) are the muscles of the tummy. tree →
3. (science) In insects, abdominal means to do with the abdomen, the back part of the body. tree →

In the lessons

In science it appears in lessons on the human body and insects (head, thorax, abdomen). In PE and health it appears with exercises and with doctors («abdominal pain» means tummy ache). Phrases: «abdominal muscles», «abdominal pain», «abdominal exercises».

Examples

• Sit-ups make your abdominal muscles stronger. tree →
• The doctor asked if she had any abdominal pain. tree →
• An insect has a head, a thorax and an abdomen; the stinger of a bee is at its abdominal end. tree →
• Wear a seat belt low across your hips, not across your abdominal area. tree →
• He trained his abs for the race. tree →
• Abdominal pain on the right side can be serious, so tell a grown-up. tree →

Note

Stress: ab-DOM-in-al. Noun «abdomen». «Abs» is the short, informal form. Doctors say «abdominal» where children say «tummy» or «stomach»; strictly the stomach is just one organ inside the abdomen.