Fekaalne

Fekaalne is an Estonian adjective meaning related to feces or excrement. In scientific and medical writing, it is used to describe material, samples, or processes that originate from or involve fecal matter. In English-language texts the closest equivalent is fecal; in Estonian medical literature, the term appears in compound forms to indicate a fecal source or aspect, such as fecal samples or fecal contamination.

The word derives from the Latin faeces, via later European usage, and shares a common root with the English "fecal" and other cognate terms across languages. As a technical term, fekaalne is predominantly found in contexts that require precise labeling of origin, including diagnostics, microbiology, and environmental health.

Common applications include stool analysis and fecal testing for pathogens or blood, considerations of fecal-oral transmission in public health, and research on the gut microbiota. In environmental science and sanitation, fekaalne describes contamination of water or soil by fecal material and is used in discussions of water quality and sanitation measures. In veterinary medicine, it likewise annotates samples or conditions associated with animals’ fecal matter.

Because it denotes potentially hazardous material, fekaalne is used in formal, technical writing rather than casual language. For translation, the English equivalent is "fecal." See also feces, stool, defecation, fecal occult blood test, and fecal transplant.