Relating to the abdomen or belly, or describing a disease where the body can't properly digest gluten.
From Latin coeliacus, from Greek koiliakos meaning 'of the belly,' derived from koilia meaning 'belly' or 'womb.' The term was later applied to the specific autoimmune disorder affecting the digestive system.
Celiac disease was first described by ancient Greek doctors over 2,000 years ago, but we didn't understand it was about gluten until the 1940s when a Dutch doctor noticed children's symptoms improved when wheat disappeared during WWII.
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