Caecum \C[ae]"cum\, n.; pl. C[ae]cums, L. C[ae]ca. [L.
caecus blind, invisible, concealed.]
(Anat.) (a) A cavity open at one end, as the blind end of a canal or
duct. (b) The blind part of the large intestine beyond the entrance
of the small intestine; -- called also the blind gut.
Note: The c[ae]cum is comparatively small in man, and ends in
a slender portion, the vermiform appendix; but in
herbivorous mammals it is often as large as the rest of
the large intestine. In fishes there are often numerous
intestinal c[ae]ca.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) |