Having No Stomach for Something
The stomach is the organ that digests food. English also uses it for appetite and courage, which is why you can lack the stomach for a fight.
The stomach is the muscular organ where food is broken down by acid and enzymes. English also treats it as the seat of appetite and nerve: to have *no stomach for* something means no appetite and no courage at once. The organ itself sits higher and more to the left than most people point.
- The digestive organ. *An empty stomach.*
- The abdomen loosely. *A pain in my stomach.*
- Appetite or courage. *No stomach for a fight.*
- To tolerate. *I cannot stomach it.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | stomach | An upset stomach. |
| Plural | stomachs | Ruminant stomachs. |
| Verb | stomach | Cannot stomach it. |
| Adjective | gastric | Gastric acid. |
| Related | abdomen | The lower abdomen. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Take the tablets on an empty stomach.Medical instruction.
- He had no stomach for the argument.No appetite for it.
- Cows have four stomach compartments.One stomach, four chambers.
Digestion facts
- Hydrochloric acid — strong enough to dissolve metal, contained by a mucus layer
- Not where food is absorbed — most absorption happens in the small intestine
- Rumination — cows have one stomach with four chambers
- Ulcers — usually caused by bacteria or drugs, not stress alone
- Gastric emptying — a meal typically leaves the stomach in two to four hours
From Greek *stomachos*, originally the throat or gullet, from *stoma*, mouth. The name migrated down the body as anatomy improved.
Do ulcers come from stress?
Mostly no. Most are caused by Helicobacter pylori infection or by anti-inflammatory drugs, a discovery that won a Nobel Prize.
Does a cow have four stomachs?
One stomach with four compartments: rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. Only the last works like a human stomach.