viscerala

Visceral, with the form viscerala in some languages, is an anatomical term that relates to the viscera—the internal organs housed within the body’s thoracic and abdominal cavities. The word derives from the Latin viscus (plural viscera). In medical usage, visceral structures include organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, intestines, and other components that are enclosed by serous membranes.

An important distinction in anatomy is between visceral and parietal structures. The visceral covering of an organ (for example, the visceral peritoneum or the visceral pleura) directly adheres to the organ’s surface, while the parietal layer lines the walls of the body cavities. Pain arising from internal organs is often referred to as visceral pain and can be diffuse, poorly localized, or felt in distant areas due to shared neural pathways.

The term viscerala can appear as a gendered or inflected form in languages that adjust adjectives to noun gender. In those linguistic contexts, viscerala may be used to describe something pertaining to the viscera.

In clinical contexts, the adjective visceral is used in expressions such as visceral fat, visceral diseases, and visceral pain. The concept is often contrasted with somatic, which relates to the body’s walls and musculoskeletal structures.

See also: viscera; visceral pain; visceral fat; visceral peritoneum; parietal.