mesentery
noun
mes·en·tery ˈme-zᵊn-ˌter-ē 
-sᵊn-
plural mesenteries
1
a
: one or more vertebrate membranes that consist of a double fold of the peritoneum and invest the intestines and their appendages and connect them with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity
b
: a fold of membrane comparable to a mesentery and supporting a viscus (such as the heart) that is not a part of the digestive tract
2
: a support or partition in an invertebrate like the vertebrate mesentery
mesenteric
ˌme-zᵊn-ˈter-ik
adjective -sᵊn-
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web That’s because of its proximity to the mesentery — a layer of tissue that affixes the intestines to the abdominal wall. 
Lauren Caruba, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Apr. 2021 Just last year, there was another similar structural substance found to surround the digestive tract known as the mesentery. Claire Maldarelli, Popular Science, 2 Apr. 2018 But while performing an increasing number of colorectal surgeries, Coffey had begun to suspect that the mesentery was one continuous organ. Claudia Kalb, National Geographic, 12 June 2019 Since the publication of Gray’s Anatomy in 1858 (then called Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical), students have been taught that the mesentery is composed of several separate structures. Claudia Kalb, National Geographic, 12 June 2019 Last year, an Irish surgeon discovered the mesentery, which connects the intestine to the abdomen. Brett Molina, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2018 The discovery comes only a year or so after scientists reported the discovery of another organ called the mesentery, which was found to be a kind of fatty strip that helps hold the intestines in place. Scott Berson, charlotteobserver, 27 Mar. 2018 In the press release, Coffey says treating the mesentery like an organ could lead to medical breakthroughs. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 4 Jan. 2017 According to Ben Guarino at The Washington Post, the mesentery has been in the anatomy books for over a century. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 4 Jan. 2017 See More
Lauren Caruba, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Apr. 2021 Just last year, there was another similar structural substance found to surround the digestive tract known as the mesentery. Claire Maldarelli, Popular Science, 2 Apr. 2018 But while performing an increasing number of colorectal surgeries, Coffey had begun to suspect that the mesentery was one continuous organ. Claudia Kalb, National Geographic, 12 June 2019 Since the publication of Gray’s Anatomy in 1858 (then called Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical), students have been taught that the mesentery is composed of several separate structures. Claudia Kalb, National Geographic, 12 June 2019 Last year, an Irish surgeon discovered the mesentery, which connects the intestine to the abdomen. Brett Molina, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2018 The discovery comes only a year or so after scientists reported the discovery of another organ called the mesentery, which was found to be a kind of fatty strip that helps hold the intestines in place. Scott Berson, charlotteobserver, 27 Mar. 2018 In the press release, Coffey says treating the mesentery like an organ could lead to medical breakthroughs. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 4 Jan. 2017 According to Ben Guarino at The Washington Post, the mesentery has been in the anatomy books for over a century. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 4 Jan. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English mesenterie, from Medieval Latin mesenterion, from Greek, from mes- + enteron intestine — more at inter-
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Medical Definition
mesentery
noun
mes·en·tery ˈmez-ᵊn-ˌter-ē ˈmes-
ˈmes- plural mesenteries
1
: one or more vertebrate membranes that consist of a double fold of the peritoneum and invest the intestines and their appendages and connect them with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity
specifically : such membranes connected with the jejunum and ileum in humans
2
: a fold of membrane comparable to a mesentery and supporting a viscus (as the heart) that is not a part of the digestive tract