What does flatulence mean?
Flatulence refers to the buildup of gas in the stomach and intestines, or to its release from the body — an entirely natural process that most often enters conversation in discussions of diet, since foods such as beans, cabbage, and onions are well known to produce it. In medical contexts the word is precise and neutral, preferred over informal terms like 'gas' or British 'wind'. Flatulence also has a figurative sense: empty, inflated, or self-important speech, as when a critic dismisses a verbose speech as mere flatulence. This second use is inherently mocking, playing on the analogy between hot air and digestive gas. The word derives from the Latin flātus ('a blowing'), from flāre ('to blow'), the same root behind 'inflate' — a lineage that makes its metaphorical sense feel almost inevitable. Formal enough for a doctor's note yet sharp enough for satire, 'flatulence' occupies a useful place between clinical vocabulary and comic insult.
The presence of excessive gas in the stomach or intestines, or the passing of such gas.
"The patient reported mild abdominal discomfort and occasional flatulence after meals."
Standard term in medical writing; in casual conversation, 'gas' or 'wind' is more common.
(figurative) Empty, pretentious, or excessively wordy talk or writing.
"Critics condemned the novel's preface as literary flatulence."
Always pejorative; used mainly in criticism and humorous writing.
Typically treated as an uncountable mass noun; a plural form ('flatulences') exists but is rare and generally avoided outside figurative uses.
"Rich food tends to cause flatulence."
Flatulence traces back to the Latin flāre, 'to blow' — the same root that gives us 'inflate', which is fittingly also what we call pompous speech.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flatulence
Flatulence comes from the New Latin flāulentia, built on the Latin flātus ('a blowing, a breathing'), itself derived from flāre ('to blow'). It entered English in the early 17th century, initially as a medical term for wind in the body. The same Latin verb gives English a family of related words, including 'inflate' and 'flatus', and the adjective 'flatulent' — now used both of gas in the gut and, figuratively, of pompous language.
Related word forms
How flatulence is actually used
Clinical and formal in register when referring to digestion — doctors prefer 'flatulence' over everyday terms like 'gas' or 'wind' (the latter chiefly British). The figurative sense, equating speech with bodily gas, carries a distinctly dismissive or mocking tone and appears mostly in criticism and satire.
Easily confused with flatulence
Both refer to intestinal gas, but 'flatulence' is the standard modern term, while 'flatuity' is a rare, largely obsolete synonym.