What it means
The root in words about the ileum, which joins the small intestine to the large intestine. An ileostomy is an opening of the ileum onto the abdomen; ileus is a stop in the movement of the bowel (the word comes from the same Greek root, meaning to twist). It is spelled with an "e", unlike ili/o, which means the ilium, the hip bone.
Remember it
ilEum is in the Eating (digestive) tract; ilIum is the hIp.
At a glance
| Also written | ileo- |
|---|
Easy to confuse with
ili/o
A word root that means the ilium, the large upper bone of the hip (pelvis).