We have all experienced that awkward moment when our stomach starts making noises in a quiet room. There is actually a rather unusual word for that familiar rumbling sound
Word of the Day: BORBORYGMUS
Pronunciation: bor-buh-RIG-muhs
UK /ˌbɔː.bəˈrɪɡ.məs/
US /ˌbɔːr.bəˈrɪɡ.məs/
Also Read
Meaning
Borborygmus is a noun that refers to a rumbling, gurgling or growling sound produced by the movement of gas and fluid through the intestines.
Examples in everyday sentences
- A sudden borborygmus interrupted the silence during the examination.
- She laughed when her borborygmus became louder than the conversation.
- The doctor explained that the borborygmi were caused by the movement of gas and fluid in the intestines.
- After skipping lunch, he could hear the familiar borborygmus coming from his stomach.
Origin and history
The word borborygmus comes from the Greek ‘borborygmos’, meaning a rumbling noise in the intestines. It entered English through New Latin, with the word itself believed to be imitative in origin. In other words, its sound is thought to echo the rumbling it describes.
The related Greek verb ‘borboryzein’ means to have a rumbling in the bowels. The word has been recorded in English since the 17th century.
Also Read: Word of the Day, November 1: ‘Zaftig’
Cultural significance and modern usage
Although borborygmus is mainly used in medical and scientific contexts, it has an amusing quality that makes it memorable. Its long, unusual spelling contrasts with the simple, familiar experience it describes.
In medical writing, the plural borborygmi is often used when referring to intestinal rumbling sounds. In everyday conversation, people are more likely to call it a stomach rumble or a growling stomach.
Interesting facts
The word is an example of onomatopoeia, where a word imitates or suggests the sound associated with what it describes.
Borborygmi is the plural form of borborygmus.
The adjective borborygmic is used to describe something that makes a rumbling or gurgling noise.
Stomach rumbling is not always a sign of hunger. It can happen as gas and fluid move through the digestive tract.
Examples from literature
- “All the toilets and waterpipes in the house had been suddenly seized with borborygmic convulsions.”— Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle by Vladimir Nabokov
Synonyms
- Stomach rumbling
- Gut rumbling
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Published: 03 Nov 2026, 10:01 am IST
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