Definition of "celiac" [ce•li•ac•cœ]

• Of or relating to the abdomen or abdominal cavity. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But in celiac disease, gluten appears to flatten the villi and damage them, reducing the body's ability to take in nutrients properly."
• "The similarity between an allergic response and an autoimmune response is clearest in the autoimmune disease known as celiac disease—what some term a gluten allergy—in which the body perceives gluten as a foreign invader."
• "These people have a genetic disorder called celiac disease, in which gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley and rye — triggers a reaction that causes their immune systems to attack the small intestine."