Fecally

Fecally is an adverb that denotes something relating to feces or fecal matter. It is formed from the adjective fecal, which itself derives from Latin faeces, meaning excrement or dregs. In English writing, there are spelling variants: the British form faecal and faecally, and the American form fecal and fecally; both spellings are understood and used depending on regional conventions.

In scientific and medical writing, fecally is used to describe processes, contamination, or transmission involving feces. Common contexts include fecally contaminated water or surfaces, and discussions of fecal-oral transmission routes for certain infections. The term helps distinguish phenomena associated with excrement from other forms of contamination or material, and it is part of formal, precise language used in public health, microbiology, and related fields.

Fecally tends to appear in technical or academic texts rather than casual speech, where terms like fecal or stool are more common. When choosing between spellings, writers typically follow regional conventions for English: faecal/faecally in British usage and fecal/fecally in American usage.

See also: feces, fecal matter, fecal-oral transmission, fecal indicator bacteria.