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distend Definition

dis·tend (di stend)

transitive verb, intransitive verb

  1. to stretch out
  2. to expand; make or become swollen

Etymology: ME distenden < L distendere < dis-, apart + tendere, to stretch: see tend

distend Synonyms

distend

v.

enlarge, widen, inflate, expand; see increase 1, stretch 1, 2, swell. See syn. study at expand.

distend Usage Examples

Object

  • abdomen: Abdomen: distended, rigid upper abdomen, with absent bowel sounds.
  • belly: The children were naked and some had markedly distended bellies.
  • bowel: This pattern is similar to children with soiling problems who learn to withhold defaecation creating a distended dysfunctional bowel.
  • bladder: For example, spasticity can be aggravated by sensory stimulation from a pressure sore or a distended bladder or rectum.
  • stomach: Air is passed down the tube which distends the stomach to allow the doctor to have a better view of the gullet.
  • vein: Apply a tourniquet to the upper arm to distend the veins and select the best one.

Preposition: with

  • gas: Some of the blood vessels have collapsed post mortem and the gut lumen is often distended with gas.
  • blood: If the heart chambers are distended with blood, the ensuing beat is much more forceful than if the chambers were initially empty.

Modifying Another Word

  • grossly: This showed the stomach to grossly distended with a large food residue.
  • so: We all saw her next day so distended that she was unable to walk.
  • greatly: Several hours elapsed post mortem before this cadaver was frozen and the colon is greatly distended with gas.
  • often: Some of the blood vessels have collapsed post mortem and the gut lumen is often distended with gas.
  • also: With some systemic diseases the gall bladder becomes pale in color and sometimes also distended.
  • grotesquely: Manhattan is grotesquely distended, with out of scale skyscrapers sprouting from the litter-strewn earth like gigantic metallic penises.