Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Gas generated in or expelled from the digestive tract, especially the stomach or intestines.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A breath; a puff of wind; a pure expulsion of air from the lungs through the throat and mouth.
  • noun Wind present in the stomach or intestines; eructation.
  • noun Inflation; puffiness; the state of being distended with air, as a tumor.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A breath; a puff of wind.
  • noun Gas generated in the stomach, intestine, or other cavities of the body.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable Gas generated in the digestive tract.
  • noun countable Expulsion of such gas through the anus.
  • noun obsolete Morbid inflation or swelling.
  • noun Plural form of flatus.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a reflex that expels intestinal gas through the anus

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin flātus, wind, fart, from flāre, to blow; see bhlē- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Borrowed into English around 1660–1670; from Latin flātus ("blowing, wind"), from flāre ("to blow").

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Examples

  • •The primary components of gas (known as flatus, pronounced FLAY-tuss) are 5 odorless gases: nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, and oxygen.

    Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions 2010

  • This would be enforced by the flatus police (former ICE and Border agents fired by Obama Momma when he removed the CONUS borders).

    Thoughts on Lead Bans 2009

  • Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables that belong to the genus Brassica are commonly reputed to not only increase flatulence, but to increase the pungency of the flatus.

    A Confession 2010

  • Orlistat use frequently results in adverse events including flatus, oily stools, fecal urgency or fecal incontinence, and abdominal pain, particularly among patients who do not follow the recommended low-fat diet.

    SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles - Part 1066 2009

  • This would be enforced by the flatus police (former ICE and Border agents fired by Obama Momma when he removed the CONUS borders).

    Thoughts on Lead Bans 2009

  • I dont know whether you say flatus or afflatus but it sounds like theres flatulence, flatulence surging through him.

    Robert Hass: On Whitman's 'Song Of Myself' 2010

  • (Soundbite of laughter) GROSS: But afflatus of flatus actually means the miraculous communication of super natural knowledge, which kind of changes the whole feel of what hes saying there.

    Robert Hass: On Whitman's 'Song Of Myself' 2010

  • So, over and over, when we looked - when I looked up words in the dictionary, see where Whitman was in 1855, there was always some surprising interesting accuracy or some area like the word afflatus or flatus.

    Robert Hass: On Whitman's 'Song Of Myself' 2010

  • Right now however, more money is spent on controlling flatus, whether taken before or after meals.

    Say 'Good-bye' to the Nice Health Care Reform, Kids 2009

  • Right now however, more money is spent on controlling flatus, whether taken before or after meals.

    Say 'Good-bye' to the Nice Health Care Reform, Kids 2009

Comments

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  • yum.

    December 21, 2007