meconium
/mɪˈkəʊnɪ.əm/
"meconium" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“meconium” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A dark green mass, the contents of the fetal intestines during the later stages of mammalian gestation, that forms the first feces of the newborn.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | meconium |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /mɪˈkəʊnɪ.əm/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “meconium” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for meconium is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɪˈkəʊnɪ.əm/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for meconium in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin mēcōnium (“opium; excrement of a newborn child”), from Ancient Greek μηκώνιον (mēkṓnion, “poppy-juice, opium”), from μήκων (mḗkōn, “poppy”). The correct English form is meconium, spelled M-E-C-O-N-I-U-M.
Definition
- 1A dark green mass, the contents of the fetal intestines during the later stages of mammalian gestation, that forms the first feces of the newborn.
- 2Opium.
Etymology
From Latin mēcōnium (“opium; excrement of a newborn child”), from Ancient Greek μηκώνιον (mēkṓnion, “poppy-juice, opium”), from μήκων (mḗkōn, “poppy”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "meconium"?
What does "meconium" mean?
How do you pronounce "meconium"?
What is the origin of the word "meconium"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “meconium”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-E-C-O-N-I-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /mɪˈkəʊnɪ.əm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.