n., pl., -ies.
Any of several folds of the peritoneum that connect the intestines to the dorsal abdominal wall, especially such a fold that envelops the jejunum and ileum.
[Middle English mesenterie, from Medieval Latin mesenterium, from Greek mesenterion : meso-, meso- + enterion, diminutive of enteron, entrails.]
mesenteric mes'en·ter'ic adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
