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Origin and history of duodenum

duodenum(n.)

"first portion of the small intestine," late 14c., also duodene, from Medieval Latin duodenum digitorium "space of twelve digits," from Latin duodeni "twelve each" (from duodecim "twelve;" see dozen). Coined by Gerard of Cremona (d. 1187) in "Canon Avicennae," a loan-translation of Greek dodekadaktylon, literally "twelve fingers long." The intestine part was so called by Greek physician Herophilus (c. 353-280 B.C.E.) for its length, which is about equal to the breadth of twelve fingers. The classical plural is duodena.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to duodenum

dozen(n.)

c. 1300, doseine, "collection of twelve things or units," from Old French dozaine "a dozen, a number of twelve" in various usages, from doze (12c.) "twelve," from Latin duodecim "twelve," from duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two") + decem "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten"). The Old French fem. suffix -aine is characteristically added to cardinals to form collectives in a precise sense ("exactly 12," not "about 12").

The Latin word's descendants are widespread: Spanish docena, Dutch dozijn, German dutzend, Danish dusin, Russian duizhina, etc. The dozens "invective contest" (1928) originated in slave culture, the custom is probably African, the word probably from bulldoze (q.v.) in its original sense of "a whipping, a thrashing."

duodenal(adj.)

"connected with or relating to the duodenum," 1754; see duodenum + -al (1).

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