Colon

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary describes the colon as the longest part of the large intestine, a tube-like organ connected to the small intestine at one end and the anus at the other. The Spanish dictionary of the Real Academia Española (RAE) places it more exactly: the portion of the large intestine that begins where the cecum ends and finishes where the rectum begins.

According to the NCI dictionary, the colon removes water and some nutrients and electrolytes from partially digested food. The remaining material, solid waste called stool, moves through the colon, is stored in the rectum, and leaves the body through the anus. MedlinePlus describes the colon as the place where the body makes and stores stool.

MedlinePlus lists several disorders that affect the colon's ability to work properly: colorectal cancer; colonic polyps, extra tissue growing in the colon that can become cancerous; ulcerative colitis, ulcers of the colon and rectum; diverticulitis, inflammation or infection of pouches in the colon; and irritable bowel syndrome, an uncomfortable condition causing abdominal cramping and other symptoms.

Colon is spelled the same in Spanish and in English. The RAE dictionary enters it as a masculine noun, el colon, and defines it as the portion of the large intestine that begins where the cecum (el ciego) ends and finishes where the rectum (el recto) begins. The same dictionary has a second, separate entry colon for a term of grammar, a part of a sentence. MedlinePlus en español says the colon is also called intestino grueso, while the NCI Spanish dictionary describes it as the longest part of the intestino grueso.

Words that MedlinePlus en español uses alongside it are heces (stool), cáncer colorrectal (colorectal cancer), pólipos del colon (colonic polyps), colitis ulcerativa (ulcerative colitis), diverticulitis, which is spelled the same in both languages, and síndrome del intestino irritable (irritable bowel syndrome). For the digestive system, the NCI Spanish dictionary writes aparato digestivo and MedlinePlus en español writes sistema digestivo.