splanch

Splanch is a combining form used in medical terminology to denote the viscera or internal organs. It is derived from the Greek splánkhna, meaning entrails or viscera, and appears in a range of terms that relate to the internal organs, especially those of the abdomen and thorax.

In modern English, the preferred form of the combining prefix is splanchn- (as in splanchnic, splanchnology). The variant splanch- occurs in some spellings and older texts, and in a few terms the connecting form can be splanchno-. These forms are generally not used as independent words; they function as morphemes inside longer terms that describe visceral anatomy, physiology, or pathology.

Usage and examples: The root appears in terms such as splanchnic nerves, which provide autonomic innervation to viscera; splanchnic circulation, referring to blood flow to and from visceral organs; and splanchnology, the study of the viscera. In clinical and anatomical contexts, the root signals relationships to the internal organs, often within the abdomen or thorax. The exact prefix form may vary by term and historical period, but the underlying meaning remains the same: a reference to the viscera rather than to the spleen specifically.

See also: splanchnic nerve, viscera, anatomy, physiology, splanchnology. Note that splen- is a distinct root referring to the spleen, separate from the splanchn-/splanch- root.