ENEMA Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com (original) (raw)

  1. the injection of a fluid into the rectum to cause a bowel movement.
  2. the fluid injected.
  3. Also called enema bag. a rubber bag or other device for administering an enema.

noun

  1. the introduction of liquid into the rectum to evacuate the bowels, medicate, or nourish
  2. the liquid so introduced

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of enema

First recorded in 1675–85; from Late Latin, from Greek: “injection,” from en- en- 2 + (h)e- (stem of hiénai “to send, throw”) + -ma, noun suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If that means I have to get a coffee enema, I’m getting a coffee enema.

FromLos Angeles Times • May 22, 2025

Logo link to Los Angeles Times

The sooner you take your dog to its veterinarian, the greater the chance of removing the toxin from its body through methods such as inducing vomiting or administering an enema.

FromNew York Times • Feb. 13, 2023

Logo link to New York Times

The microbiome company Rebiotix Inc. last year announced positive results from a phase 3 trial of its recurrent C. difficile treatment, a filtered stool product delivered as an enema.

FromScience Magazine • Jan. 19, 2022

Logo link to Science Magazine

Called fleets because they were fleeting, the word is also a brand name for an enema — something many people pointed out on Twitter when the feature launched.

FromSeattle Times • Jul. 14, 2021

Logo link to Seattle Times

Amid hot-water bottles and enema bags, he placed his bets.

From"Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.