Ureter

The story of the word

Greek writers used οὐρητήρ and οὐρήθρα loosely, sometimes for the same tube, and the clean modern split, ureter above the bladder and urethra below it, was imposed by later anatomists. An adult ureter is about twenty-five to thirty centimetres long and pushes urine along by waves of muscle rather than gravity, which is why lying down does not stop it. A kidney stone hurts as it does because that muscle is trying to squeeze past it.

How it travelled

Ancient Greek → Medieval Latin → English

First recorded

16th century