sigmoides

Sigmoides is a Latin adjective meaning “S-shaped” and is used in scientific naming to describe objects or structures with a curved, sigmoid form. In Latin-based anatomical and taxonomic nomenclature, the related forms sigmoideus, sigmoidea, and sigmoideum appear to agree with gender and number.

In anatomy, sigmoideus is commonly used to denote structures that are characteristically S-shaped. The most familiar example is colon sigmoideum, the sigmoid colon, a curved section of the large intestine located in the lower abdomen and pelvis. The region receives arterial supply from the sigmoid arteries, collectively referred to as arteriae sigmoideae, which originate from the inferior mesenteric artery and serve the sigmoid colon. The term also appears in other anatomical names describing similarly curved structures.

Beyond human anatomy, sigmoides functions as part of scientific names in zoology and botany. As an epithet, it typically indicates that a plant or animal feature is sigmoidal in shape or that the term preserves an antiquated descriptive name. In many cases, the epithet does not imply a taxonomic rank but serves as a descriptive or traditional descriptor within the species name.

Etymology traces the term to Latin sigmoideus, itself derived from Greek roots referring to the shape of the letter sigma. The concept of sigmoides, therefore, emphasizes a characteristic S-shaped form across diverse biological contexts.