Viscus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "Viscera" redirects here. For other uses, see Viscera (disambiguation).
In anatomy, a viscus (plural: viscera) is an internal organ of an animal (including humans), in particular an internal organ of the thorax or abdomen. The viscera, when removed from a butchered animal, are known collectively as offal. Internal organs are often informally called "guts".
The adjective visceral is used for anything pertaining to the internal organs. Historically, viscera of animals were examined by Roman pagan priests like the haruspices or the augurs in order to divine the future by their shape, dimensions or other factors.
