HERNIA, in Medicine and Surgery, a deſcent of the intestines or omentum out of their natural place; or rather, the tumour formed by that deſcent, popularly called a rupture. The word is Latin, hernia, and originally ſignifies the ſame with tumor ſerotus, called alſo ramex. Præſcian obſerves, that the ancient Marſi gave the appellation hernia to rocks; whence ſome will have hernias thus called propter duritiem, on account of their hardneſs. Scaliger chooſes rather to derive the word from the Greek ἴσος, ramus, branch. See SURGERY Index.