Viscerális

Viscerális is an adjective used in medical and anatomical contexts to describe things related to the viscera, the internal organs situated within the thoracic and abdominal cavities. The term derives from Latin viscus (singular) and viscera (plural), with the adjectival form visceralis entering medical language through Latin and its later derivatives.

In anatomy and medicine, viscerális commonly refers to the viscera themselves or to processes affecting them. Viscera include organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, intestines, and kidneys. Visceral pain, for example, is pain that originates from internal organs and is often poorly localized due to the way visceral nerves convey signals. The term also appears in phrases like visceral involvement or visceral pathology to indicate disease affecting internal organs. A related concept is visceral fat, fat stored within the abdominal cavity around internal organs, which is contrasted with subcutaneous fat in other body regions.

Beyond strict medical usage, viscerális may appear in broader, figurative language in some languages to denote something felt instinctively or emotionally, rather than rationally. In Hungarian medical and scientific contexts, viscerális is the standard term for topics pertaining to viscera, while in general English usage the term visceral additionally carries connotations of gut-level, non-rational reaction.

See also: viscera, visceral pain, viscerology, visceral fat.