in medicine and surgery, a defecent of the intestines or omentum out of their natural place; or rather, the tumour formed by that defecent, popularly called a rupture. The word is Latin, hernia, and originally signifies the same with tumor fretti, called also ramex. Priscian observes, that the ancient Maro gave the appellation hernia to rocks; whence some will have hernias thus called propter duritieem, on account of their hardness. Scaliger chooses rather to derive the word from the Greek ῥάμνος, ramus, branch. See (Index to) Surgery.