intus

Intus is a Latin term meaning inside or within. In modern English medical language it is not used as a stand-alone word; instead it functions as a combining form or root in Latin-derived terms indicating internal location or action.

The most prominent use is in the word intussusception, a condition in which a segment of a hollow organ—most commonly the small intestine—telescopes into an immediately adjacent segment. This intraluminal invagination within another segment can impede passage and cut off blood supply, constituting a surgical emergency in many cases. The term intussusception literally encodes this “within” action.

Aside from intussusception, intus appears more rarely in medical literature as part of other Latinized compounds or descriptive phrases indicating internal aspects of anatomy; it is not part of everyday English, and most readers encounter it primarily within technical terms.

See also: intussusception; intramural; endo-.