jə̇ˈjünəm, jēˈ- noun
( plural jeju·na -nə)
Etymology: Latin (translation of Greek nēstis, from nēstis fasting), from neuter of jejunus; from the belief that it is empty after death
: the first two fifths of the small intestine beyond the duodenum usually merging almost imperceptibly with the ileum though somewhat larger, thicker-walled, and more vascular and having more numerous circular folds and fewer Peyer's patches