ˈmes ə n.ˌterē, -ez ə n.- noun
( -es )
Etymology: New Latin mesenterium, from Middle French & Greek; Middle French mesentere, from Greek mesenterion, mesenteron, from mes- + enteron intestine
1.
a. : the membranes or one of the membranes that consist of a double fold of the peritoneum and enclosed tissues and that in a vertebrate animal invest the intestines and their appendages, connect them with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity, and serve to retain the organs in position and to support and convey to them blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics ; specifically : these membranes connected with the jejunum and ileum in man — compare mesocecum , mesocolon , mesogastrium , mesorectum
b. : any comparable fold of membrane supporting a viscus (as the heart or an ovary) that is not a part of the digestive tract
c. : a membranous or muscular fold or septum connecting the intestine and body wall in an invertebrate
2. : one of the radial muscular partitions extending inward from the wall of the digestive cavity of actinozoans