A hernia in which both a loop of intestine and part of the omentum (a membrane in the abdomen) protrude through a weakness in the abdominal wall.
From 'entero-' (intestine), 'epiplo-' (from Greek 'epiploon', the omentum), and '-cele' (hernia). Named in the 1800s as surgeons classified different types of hernias based on what tissue protruded through the defect.
Hernias are basically your body's layers tearing—and when multiple layers push through together, you get a compound hernia with a fancy multi-part name that sounds scarier than it is!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.