Celiacum

Celiacum is a Latin neuter form used in anatomical terminology to mean “of the abdomen” or “celiac,” relating to the celiac region. It is part of the Latin adjective family derived from the root coeliac-, which appears in various gendered forms (for example coeliacus, coeliaca, coeliacum) to modify different nouns in Latin anatomy. In modern English texts, the corresponding adjectival forms are usually rendered as celiac or coeliac.

In practice, celiacum appears in scholarly phrases within Latin anatomical nomenclature when a neuter noun is being described. Routines of usage include terms linked to the foregut region and its innervation or vascular supply, often alongside related forms such as truncus coeliacus or plexus coeliacus, which denote the celiac trunk and the celiac plexus, respectively. The celiac trunk itself is a major arterial origin in the upper abdominal cavity that typically arises from the abdominal aorta near the T12–L1 level and provides the left gastric, splenic, and common hepatic arteries.

Note that celiacum is distinct from celiac disease (also spelled coeliac disease in British usage). Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten that affects the small intestine, a concept unrelated to the anatomical Latin term. The shared root reflects a common origin in the Greek koilia (belly), but the two concepts occupy different branches of medicine.

Overall, celiacum remains primarily a historical or scholarly form within Latin anatomical nomenclature, with contemporary English usage favoring celiac/coeliac for related terms.