feces

See also: fèces

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin faecēs, nominative plural of faex (“residue, dregs”), further origin unknown; possibly borrowed from a substrate language.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfiːsiːz/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːsiːz

Noun

feces pl (plural only) (Canada, US)

  1. Digested waste material (typically solid or semi-solid) discharged from a human or other mammal's stomach to the intestines; excrement.
    • 2011 June 21, Kay E. Holekamp, “Why Study Hyenas?”, in The New York Times‎[1]:
      We are also extracting DNA, both from blood collected during immobilizations and from hyena feces.

Usage notes

  • This word can be used with plural verbs ("feces have a strong smell") or singular ones ("feces has a strong smell"). Use with plural verbs is more common, especially in Britain, and is the only use recognized by some dictionaries,[1] while others recognize both plural and singular use.[2]
  • A singular form faex is rarely used, in some academic contexts, particularly when the spelling faeces is used for the plural.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ “feces”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  2. ^ “feces”, in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2026

Latin

Noun

fēcēs

  1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of fēx

Spanish

Noun

feces m pl

  1. plural of fez
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