faeces

See also: fæces

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin faecēs, nominative plural of faex (“residue, dregs”).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈfiːsiːz/
  • Rhymes: -iːsiːz

Noun

faeces pl (normally plural, singular faex)

  1. Digested waste material (typically solid or semi-solid) discharged from a human or mammal's stomach to the intestines; excrement.
    • 1968 May, W. B. Healy, Ingestion of Soil by Dairy Cows, New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, page 487,
      This paper reports on ingestion of soil by dairy cows using titanium analysis of faeces by the X-ray fluorescence technique, and gives the range of soil intakes of a year on both an individual and a herd basis.
    • 1984 April 19, David F. Chantrey, James B. Reid, C. E. Davie, Dog Business, New Scientist, page 48,
      The fact that dogs have a well developed sense of smell suggests that they might be able to use the odour of faeces as a means of communicating.
    • 2004, Håkan Jönsson, Håkan Jönsson, Anna Richert Stintzing, Björn Vinnerås, Eva Salomon, Guidelines on the Use of Urine and Faeces in Crop Production, page 1,
      Urine and faeces are complete fertilizers of high quality with low levels of contaminants such as heavy metals. Urine is rich in nitrogen, while faeces are rich in phosphorous, potassium and organic matter.

Usage notes
  • This word can be used with plural verbs ("faeces have a strong smell") or singular ones ("faeces has a strong smell"). Use with plural verbs is more common, especially in Britain, and is the only use recognized by some dictionaries,[1] while others recognize both plural and singular use.[2]

Synonyms

Translations
digested waste material discharged from the bowels — See also translations at poo,‎ shit,‎ stool

References
  1. “faeces”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  2. “faeces” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2023.

Latin

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈfae̯.keːs/, [ˈfäe̯keːs̠]
  • (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈfe.t͡ʃes/, [ˈfɛːt͡ʃes]

Noun

faecēs

  1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of faex

References
  • “faeces”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
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