Definition of Caecum

Caecum: The caecum (also spelled cecum), the first portion of the large bowel, situated in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen.

The caecum receives fecal material from the small bowel (ileum) which opens into it. The appendix is attached to the caecum.

The word "caecum" comes from the Latin "caecus" meaning "blind." This refers to the fact that the bottom of the caecum is a blind pouch (a cul de sac) leading nowhere.