CultureAugust 8, 2026
gizzard
GIZ-urd
Definition
A thick-walled, muscular part of a bird's or reptile's stomach used for grinding up food, often with the help of swallowed stones.
Etymology
Derived from the Old French word 'giser', which originally referred to the lower stomach of a fowl. It likely traces back to the Latin word 'gigeria', meaning the entrails of poultry.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe a specialized digestive organ found in certain dinosaurs that functioned similarly to those in modern birds to break down tough plant matter. It illustrates how these ancient animals evolved efficient ways to process their food.
Dinosaurs evolved very strange and unique strategies for digesting food and absorbing nutrients
Read the full article ↗Earth.com