What does defecate mean?
"Defecate" is a formal verb meaning to discharge waste matter from the bowels — that is, to pass feces out of the body. It is the standard technical term in medicine, nursing, biology, and veterinary science, where precision and neutrality matter more than delicacy: clinicians ask patients how often they defecate, and researchers record when laboratory animals defecate. In ordinary conversation, however, the word is rare, since most speakers reach for euphemisms such as "go to the toilet"; hearing "defecate" outside a professional setting can therefore sound amusingly stiff or over-formal. The word entered English in the seventeenth century from Latin "defaecare," meaning to purify or strain out dregs, which explains why it once also meant to cleanse or clarify liquids like wine. Today that older sense has faded almost entirely, leaving the physiological meaning as the word's sole living use.
verbTo discharge feces from the body through the bowels.
- To discharge feces from the bowels.
"The doctor asked how often the patient defecated and whether there was any pain."
"Infants typically defecate several times a day."
"The physician noted that the patient had been unable to defecate for three days."
Despite its scatological modern meaning, "defecate" originally meant to purify — its Latin ancestor literally meant to clear away filth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of defecate
"Defecate" derives from the Latin verb "defaecare," formed from "de-" (away) plus "faex" (dregs, sediment), so it literally meant to free something from dregs — to purify or clarify, especially wine. It entered English in the early seventeenth century with this sense of purifying or clarifying, and by the later seventeenth century it was being applied euphemistically to the discharge of bodily waste, a meaning that has since become the only one in general use. It shares the Latin root "faec-" (from faeces, sediment) with "feces" and "fecal."
Related word forms
How defecate is actually used
"Defecate" is a formal, clinical term used chiefly in medical, veterinary, and scientific contexts. In everyday conversation, English speakers overwhelmingly prefer euphemisms such as "go to the toilet" or cruder informal terms; using "defecate" in casual speech can sound stiff or comically clinical.
Easily confused with defecate
"Deficate" is a common misspelling; the correct form is "defecate", from Latin defaecare, meaning to purify or clear of dregs.