Definitions

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

  • noun An itching or painful mass of dilated veins in swollen anal tissue.
  • noun The pathological condition in which such painful masses occur.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A tumor in the anal region, either within the anus (internal hemorrhoid) or without (external hemorrhoid), formed of dilated blood-vessels with more or less hyperplastic growth of connective tissue. See piles.
  • noun In anc. zoöl. (Pliny), a venomous serpent the bite of which was said to make blood flow from all parts of the body.

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

  • noun often plural An engorged, dilated and easily broken varicosity in the perianal area, often accompanied by intense itching and throbbing pain: piles.

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

  • noun pain caused by venous swelling at or inside the anal sphincter

Etymologies

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

[From Middle English emoroides, hemorrhoids, from Old French emoroides, from Latin haemorrhoidae, from Greek haimorrhoïdes, pl. of haimorrhoïs, from haimorrhoos, flowing with blood : haimo-, hemo- + rhein, to flow; see sreu- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French emorroides, from Latin hæmorrhoidæ, from Ancient Greek: αἷμα (haima, "blood") in combination with ῥέω (rheō, "flow"); akin to hemorrhage.

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Examples

  • The only difference between a Democrat coming down south and a hemorrhoid is at least the hemorrhoid will go back up once in a while. xrocketeer

    DNC: Barbour 'defended the indefensible' 2010

  • They prefer Rush limbaugh who claim himself to be patriotic but deferred the draft because of a friggin 'hemorrhoid.

    Powell calls Palin a 'fascinating figure' 2009

  • A hemorrhoid is a condition in which the veins around the anus or lower rectum become swollen and inflamed.

    The Fiber35 Diet Brenda Watson with Leonard Smith 2007

  • A hemorrhoid is a condition in which the veins around the anus or lower rectum become swollen and inflamed.

    The Fiber35 Diet Brenda Watson with Leonard Smith 2007

  • Another complication of a blood clot from a hemorrhoid is a condition known as thromboembolism.

    EzineArticles 2010

  • When they turn swollen and inflamed, this is termed a hemorrhoid condition.

    We Blog A Lot 2009

  • In the Los Angeles Times today, Libertarian Republican columnist PJ O'Rourke has announced is reporting that he has been diagnosed with Cancer - a malignant hemorrhoid, that is treatable.

    Libertarian Republican 2008

  • You should also know what kind of hemorrhoid you have for the proper treatment to be given to you and ask for help whenever needed.

    ReadABlog.com New Blogs and RSS Feeds 2010

  • You should also know what kind of hemorrhoid you have for the proper treatment to be given to you and ask for help whenever needed.

    ReadABlog.com New Blogs and RSS Feeds 2010

  • Hes so far up the insurance companies backside, he should be considered their hemorrhoid.

    Baucus gets support from the center 2009

Comments

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  • Sphincter is such a cool word.

    January 17, 2008