fistula

See also: fístula, fistulă, fistuła, and fistułą

English

WOTD – 30 August 2011

an artificially-created radiocephalic fistula

Alternative forms

• fistule

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin fistula (“pipe, ulcer, catheter”), from findō (“cleave, divide, split”). Doublet of fester.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfɪs.tjə.lə/, /ˈfɪs.tʃʊ.lə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɪs.tjə.lə/, /ˈfɪs.t͡ʃu.lə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

fistula (plural fistulas or fistulae or fistulæ)

1. (medicine) An abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels that normally do not connect.
   • 1903, William Rice Pryor, Gynæcology, page 113:

     Small fistulæ are to be closed bilaterally in an antero-posterior line […]

   • 1917, Louis Adolph Merillat, Fistula of the Withers and Poll-Evil, page 5:

     There are several reasons why a manual on this disease should be a part of the veterinary literature of the day, the chief one being that fistula of the withers is a very prevalent disease of horses and thus exacts a big toll from the horse industry.

   • 1998, Scott Fisher, “Enterocutaneous Fistulas”, in Theodore J. Saclarides, Keith W. Millikan, editors, Common Surgical Diseases: An Algorithmic Approach to Problem Solving‎^[1], page 164:

     Fistulas are abnormal communications between two epithelialized surfaces. The causes of enterocutaneous fistulas can be remembered using the mnemonic FRIEND: Foreign body, Radiation, Inflammation/Infection/Inflammatory bowel disease, Epithelialization, Neoplasm, and Distal obstruction. Fifteen to twenty-five percent of enterocutaneous fistulas arise spontaneously as in, for example, Crohn's disease or cancer.

   • 2008, Sylvia Escott-Stump, Nutrition and Diagnosis-related Care, page 405:

     An intestinal fistula is an unwanted pathway from intestines to other organs (e.g., the bladder).

2. (rare) A tube, a pipe, or a hole.
3. (Christianity, historical) The tube through which the wine of the Eucharist was once sucked from the chalice in certain ceremonies (such as papal Masses).

   Synonym: calamus

Usage notes

• (medicine): The skin is regarded as an organ, so the definition includes the abnormal connection of an internal organ to the body's exterior (as in, for example, enterocutaneous fistulas).
• Sometimes, a fistula will be intentionally created; for example, an arteriovenous fistula is sometimes created to ease the treatment of a patient with end stage renal failure.

Derived terms

• anal fistula, fistula-in-ano
• arteriovenous fistula
• fistular
• fistulate
• fistulation
• fistulous
• vesicovaginal fistula

 

Translations

abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels

• Afrikaans: fistel
• Arabic: نَاسُور m (nāsūr)
• Armenian: խուղակ (hy) (xuġak)
• Bambara: sugunɛkɛbana, ɲɛgɛkɛbana
• Belarusian: фістула f (fistula), свішч m (svišč)
• Breton: fic'h (br)
• Bulgarian: фистула (bg) f (fistula)
• Catalan: fístula (ca) f
• Cherokee: ᎩᏍᏚᎳ (gisdula)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瘺管 / 瘘管 (lòuguǎn)

• Czech: píštěl (cs) f
• Danish: fistel (da) c
• Dutch: fistel (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: fistulo
• Finnish: fisteli (fi), fistula (fi)
• French: fistule (fr) f
• Friulian: fìstule f
• Georgian: ფისტულა (pisṭula)
• German: Fistel (de) f
• Greek: συρίγγιο (el) n (syríngio)
• Hebrew: פִיסְטוּלָה (he) f
• Hindi: भगन्‍दर (bhagan‍dar)
• Hungarian: fisztula (hu), sipoly (hu)
• Icelandic: fistill (is) m
• Ido: fistulo (io)
• Indonesian: hiliran
• Irish: fiostúl m
• Italian: fistola (it) f
• Japanese: 瘻孔 (ja) (ろうこう, rōkō)
• Kannada: ಫಿಸ್ಟುಲಾ (phisṭulā)
• Kazakh: жыланкөз (jylanköz)
• Korean: 누공 (nugong)
• Latin: fistula f
• Latvian: fistula f
• Lithuanian: fistulė f
• Luxembourgish: Fistel f
• Malayalam: ഭഗന്ദരം (ml) (bhagandaraṁ)
• Manx: sheane f
• Nepali: फिस्टुला (phisṭulā)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fistel m

  Nynorsk: fistel m

• Occitan: fistula f
• Polish: przetoka f, fistuła f
• Portuguese: fístula (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਫਿਸਤੁਲਾ f (phistulā)
• Romanian: fistulă (ro) f
• Romansch: fistla f
• Russian: фи́стула (ru) f (fístula), свищ (ru) m (svišč)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: фи̏стула f

  Roman: fȉstula (sh) f

• Slovak: fistula f
• Slovene: fistula f
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: fistla f

  Upper Sorbian: fistla f

• Spanish: fístula (es) f
• Swahili: nasuri
• Swedish: fistel (sv) c
• Turkish: fistül (tr), akarca (tr)
• Ukrainian: фістула f (fistula), свищ m (svyšč), нориця f (norycja)
• Vietnamese: rò (vi)
• Welsh: ffistwla f

tube, pipe, or a hole

• Finnish: putki (fi), yhde, fistula (fi)
• Latin: fistula f
• Spanish: fístula (es) f

Finnish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin fistula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfistulɑ/, [ˈfis̠tulɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -istulɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): fis‧tu‧la

Noun

fistula

1. (pathology) fistula (abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels)

   Synonym: fisteli

2. (rare) fistula (thin tube or pipe, especially a metallic straw used to sip sacramental wine)

Declension

Inflection of fistula (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		fistula	fistulat
genitive		fistulan	fistuloiden fistuloitten
partitive		fistulaa	fistuloita
illative		fistulaan	fistuloihin
		singular	plural
nominative		fistula	fistulat
accusative	nom.	fistula	fistulat
	gen.	fistulan
genitive		fistulan	fistuloiden fistuloitten fistulain rare
partitive		fistulaa	fistuloita
inessive		fistulassa	fistuloissa
elative		fistulasta	fistuloista
illative		fistulaan	fistuloihin
adessive		fistulalla	fistuloilla
ablative		fistulalta	fistuloilta
allative		fistulalle	fistuloille
essive		fistulana	fistuloina
translative		fistulaksi	fistuloiksi
abessive		fistulatta	fistuloitta
instructive		—	fistuloin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of fistula (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative fistulani fistulani accusative nom. fistulani fistulani gen. fistulani genitive fistulani fistuloideni fistuloitteni fistulaini rare partitive fistulaani fistuloitani inessive fistulassani fistuloissani elative fistulastani fistuloistani illative fistulaani fistuloihini adessive fistulallani fistuloillani ablative fistulaltani fistuloiltani allative fistulalleni fistuloilleni essive fistulanani fistuloinani translative fistulakseni fistuloikseni abessive fistulattani fistuloittani instructive — — comitative — fistuloineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative fistulasi fistulasi accusative nom. fistulasi fistulasi gen. fistulasi genitive fistulasi fistuloidesi fistuloittesi fistulaisi rare partitive fistulaasi fistuloitasi inessive fistulassasi fistuloissasi elative fistulastasi fistuloistasi illative fistulaasi fistuloihisi adessive fistulallasi fistuloillasi ablative fistulaltasi fistuloiltasi allative fistulallesi fistuloillesi essive fistulanasi fistuloinasi translative fistulaksesi fistuloiksesi abessive fistulattasi fistuloittasi instructive — — comitative — fistuloinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative fistulamme fistulamme accusative nom. fistulamme fistulamme gen. fistulamme genitive fistulamme fistuloidemme fistuloittemme fistulaimme rare partitive fistulaamme fistuloitamme inessive fistulassamme fistuloissamme elative fistulastamme fistuloistamme illative fistulaamme fistuloihimme adessive fistulallamme fistuloillamme ablative fistulaltamme fistuloiltamme allative fistulallemme fistuloillemme essive fistulanamme fistuloinamme translative fistulaksemme fistuloiksemme abessive fistulattamme fistuloittamme instructive — — comitative — fistuloinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative fistulanne fistulanne accusative nom. fistulanne fistulanne gen. fistulanne genitive fistulanne fistuloidenne fistuloittenne fistulainne rare partitive fistulaanne fistuloitanne inessive fistulassanne fistuloissanne elative fistulastanne fistuloistanne illative fistulaanne fistuloihinne adessive fistulallanne fistuloillanne ablative fistulaltanne fistuloiltanne allative fistulallenne fistuloillenne essive fistulananne fistuloinanne translative fistulaksenne fistuloiksenne abessive fistulattanne fistuloittanne instructive — — comitative — fistuloinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative fistulansa fistulansa accusative nom. fistulansa fistulansa gen. fistulansa genitive fistulansa fistuloidensa fistuloittensa fistulainsa rare partitive fistulaansa fistuloitaan fistuloitansa inessive fistulassaan fistulassansa fistuloissaan fistuloissansa elative fistulastaan fistulastansa fistuloistaan fistuloistansa illative fistulaansa fistuloihinsa adessive fistulallaan fistulallansa fistuloillaan fistuloillansa ablative fistulaltaan fistulaltansa fistuloiltaan fistuloiltansa allative fistulalleen fistulallensa fistuloilleen fistuloillensa essive fistulanaan fistulanansa fistuloinaan fistuloinansa translative fistulakseen fistulaksensa fistuloikseen fistuloiksensa abessive fistulattaan fistulattansa fistuloittaan fistuloittansa instructive — — comitative — fistuloineen fistuloinensa

Anagrams

• filusta, liftaus

Latin

Etymology

Probably from the same root *fest- as found in festūca (“stalk, straw”) and fistūca (“pile driver, ram”), maybe connected to ferula (“fennel; staff”) by earlier *fes- (“hollow stalk”), all words of unknown origin. This makes any relationship to findō (“cleave, divide, split”) unlikely.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈfis.tu.la/, [ˈfɪs̠t̪ʊɫ̪ä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈfis.tu.la/, [ˈfist̪ulä]

Noun

fistula f (genitive fistulae); first declension

1. pipe, tube, especially a water pipe
2. hollow reed or cane
3. (music) shepherd's pipe, pipes of Pan
4. fistula, ulcer
5. catheter
6. shoemaker's punch
7. a kind of hand mill for grinding grain
8. golden shower (Cassia fistula)

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	fistula	fistulae
genitive	fistulae	fistulārum
dative	fistulae	fistulīs
accusative	fistulam	fistulās
ablative	fistulā	fistulīs
vocative	fistula	fistulae

Derived terms

• fistulātor

Related terms

• findō

Descendants

• English: fistula
• French: felle, fêle, fistule
• Galician: fístula
• Italian: fistola, fischiare
• Old French: festre
  • → English: fester
• Portuguese: fístula
• Romanian: fistulă
• Russian: фистула (fistula)
• Sicilian: friscari
• Spanish: fístula, fistra

Further reading

• “fistula”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “fistula”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• fistula in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• fistula in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “fistula”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “fistula”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈfistula]

Noun

fistula f

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of fistulă

Slovak

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin fistula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈfistula]

Noun

fistula f (related adjective fistulový or fistulózny, diminutive fistulka)

1. fistula

Declension

Declension of fistula (pattern žena)

	singular	plural
nominative	fistula	fistuly
genitive	fistuly	fistúl
dative	fistule	fistulám
accusative	fistulu	fistuly
locative	fistule	fistulách
instrumental	fistulou	fistulami

Further reading

• “fistula”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from English fistula, from Latin fistula.

Noun

fistula class IX (plural fistula class X)

1. fistula