What does vomitus mean?
Vomitus is a noun meaning the material forced out of the stomach through the mouth, especially when it is described medically or formally. It can also refer to the act of vomiting itself, though “vomit” is more common for that sense in ordinary speech. The word usually carries an unpleasant, clinical, or deliberately stark connotation; it appears in reports of poisoning, illness, injury, and other emergencies, as well as in literary descriptions of horror or disgust. As a mass noun, “vomitus” normally takes no plural marker, and expressions referring to blood or bile focus on the material’s appearance or composition. Although “vomit” is usually the more conversational choice, “vomitus” remains useful because it sounds clinical and precise without being entirely technical. The Latin origin also makes it memorable: vomitus was a participle meaning “vomited,” and the noun ultimately refers to what has been brought up from the stomach.
nounThe material ejected from the stomach through the mouth, especially in a medical or formal context. The word can also refer to the act of vomiting.
- The material ejected from the stomach through the mouth.
- The act or process of vomiting.
"The contamination was traced to vomitus from an upstairs apartment."
"Nurses found dark, coffee-ground vomitus and suspected internal bleeding."
"The medical report described a quantity of green vomitus in the patient's airway."
Normally treated as a mass noun and used without a distinct plural form.
"The paramedic described the vomitus as containing traces of blood."
Latin vomitus literally meant “what had been vomited,” so the word’s ancient bluntness is built into its very name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vomitus come from?
The English noun was borrowed from Latin in the early 17th century. Latin vomitus was derived from vomere, meaning “to spew forth” or “to vomit,” and was formed from the same participial stem represented in English words such as vomit, vomitory, and vomitive.
How vomitus is actually used
The word has a clinical, formal, or deliberately stark register. In everyday speech, “vomit” is more usual, especially for the act of vomiting, while “vomitus” is chiefly used for the expelled material.
Easily confused with vomitus
“Vomitus” usually names the expelled material or, less commonly, the act of vomiting, whereas “vomit” is more conversational and can function as both a noun and a verb.