gall-bladder

The doctor pointed to the patient's gall-bladder on the medical chart.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small organ in the body: The "gall-bladder" is a small, pear-shaped sac located under the liver that stores and concentrates bile (a digestive fluid produced by the liver) and releases it into the small intestine to aid in the digestion of fats.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor said the gall-bladder was inflamed and might need to be removed. (The small organ storing bile was swollen.)
  • A diet high in fat can cause gall-bladder problems, such as gallstones. (Issues with the bile-storing organ.)

Advanced Usage

• "gall-bladder attack": a sudden episode of severe pain in the upper right abdomen caused by a blockage in the gall-bladder (often due to gallstones).

  • She experienced a sharp pain after dinner, which turned out to be a gall-bladder attack. (A painful episode related to the organ.)

• "gall-bladder surgery": a medical procedure to remove the gall-bladder (cholecystectomy).

  • After years of discomfort, he finally had gall-bladder surgery. (Surgical removal of the organ.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gall-bladder is also spelled gallbladder (one word) in modern medical usage.

  • The ultrasound showed a normal gallbladder. (The organ appeared healthy.)

• Gallstone (n): a hard, solid deposit that forms in the gall-bladder.

  • He was diagnosed with a gallstone blocking the bile duct. (A stone in the gall-bladder.)

Synonyms

• Bile sac: an alternative descriptive term for the gall-bladder (less common).
• Cholecyst: the medical term for the gall-bladder (from Greek meaning bile and meaning bladder).

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms using "gall-bladder" directly. However, the word "gall" (meaning boldness or bitterness) is related etymologically but used differently:
  • He had the gall to argue with the teacher. (Boldness or nerve.) This is unrelated to the organ.