The abdomen is the part of your body between your chest and your hips, containing important organs like your stomach, intestines, liver, and kidneys. When you eat lunch, your food travels down to your abdomen where it gets digested and turned into energy your body can use.

You might hear someone say their abdomen hurts after eating too much at Thanksgiving, or a doctor might press gently on a patient's abdomen during a checkup to make sure everything feels normal inside. Athletes doing sit-ups or crunches are strengthening their abdominal muscles, the muscles that wrap around the front and sides of the abdomen like a natural belt.

Scientists and doctors often use abdomen instead of the more casual word “belly” or “stomach,” though these words can refer to roughly the same area in everyday conversation. Insects also have abdomens: the rear section of an ant's or bee's body is its abdomen, where it stores food and other vital organs.