panniculus

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a thin sheet or layer of bodily tissue, especially a layer beneath the skin

   The anatomical report described the panniculus as a distinct sheet of subcutaneous tissue.

2. 2
   noun

   an apronlike fold of excess skin and subcutaneous fat hanging from the lower abdomen

   A large panniculus can restrict movement and make skin care difficult.

Borrowed from Latin panniculus, 'small piece of cloth' and, in medical Latin, 'membrane,' a diminutive of pannus ('cloth'). The anatomical term likens a sheet or layer of tissue to a small cloth. Its Latin plural is panniculi.

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