colorectal
Meaning of colorectal: Colorectal describes anything relating to the colon and rectum together, the final segments of the large intestine, most often in the context of cancer.
Definition of colorectal
Colorectal means relating to the colon and the rectum, the last portions of the large intestine responsible for absorbing water and forming and storing stool before elimination. The term is used to describe anatomy, diseases, and procedures involving either or both of these connected structures.
The word appears most often in the context of colorectal cancer, which can develop in the colon, the rectum, or both, and is commonly screened for using tests such as colonoscopy. Colorectal surgery is the surgical specialty focused on conditions affecting these structures, including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and other disorders of the colon and rectum.
Because the colon and rectum are anatomically continuous and often affected by similar conditions, they are frequently considered together in screening, diagnosis, and treatment, even though they differ somewhat in structure and function.
How colorectal is built
- col/o, colon/o Combining form · Greek colon, large intestine
- rect/o Combining form · Latin rectum
- -ac, -al, -ar, -ary, -eal, -ic Suffix · Greek and Latin pertaining to, relating to
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
Used in a sentence
The patient underwent a colonoscopy as part of routine colorectal cancer screening.
Good to know
Colorectal cancer can originate in either the colon or the rectum, and the specific location within these connected structures can influence how the cancer is evaluated and staged.
Word origin
Where “colorectal” comes from
Formed from colo-, from Greek kolon, meaning "colon," and rectal, from Latin rectum, meaning "straight," referring to the final segment of the large intestine.