The viscera are the internal organs of the body—especially those located in the large cavity of the trunk (e.g., the heart, liver, and intestines). The word viscera comes from Latin, in which it has essentially the same meaning. Something visceral has to do with the viscera, and in a more figurative sense, something visceral is felt "deep down." Even in the early years of its use, visceral often referred to things emotional rather than physiological. For example, in 1640 an English bishop named Edward Reynolds wrote, "Love is of all other the inmost and most visceral affection." This figurative use is the most common use of visceral, but the word continues to be used in medical contexts as well.
Example Sentences
In 1972 he began an address at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon, "Let me start off by saying this is not quite an honor, my being here. I haven't had too much regard for the Chamber of Commerce in my years in Boston. When the Celtics won 11 championships in 13 years, it was ignored in their own town." Arnold Jacob Auerbach, though paradoxical and highly idiosyncratic, was foremost a direct and visceral man. Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 6 Nov. 2006When you measure your waist circumference, you're indirectly measuring your visceral fat. David Schardt, Nutrition Action, July/August 2006But there are strong taboos I haven't anticipated. The most striking is the visceral dislike of rawness. In China, the consumption of raw foods was historically viewed as a barbarian habit, and most everything is still eaten cooked. Fuchsia Dunlop, Gourmet, August 2005One of the wonders of cooking is that the tiniest adjustment to what you are making, the addition of a single ingredient or the execution of a technique, can entirely change a dish and the visceral response you get from eating it. Amanda Hesser, New York Times, 17 July 2002 Her visceral reaction was to curse at the other driver.
Recent Examples on the WebGiven his experience with coercive electricity, having been subject to psychiatric shock treatment as a teenager, Reed must have found the image particularly visceral. Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2022 The cast of Yellowjackets, the visceral Lord of the Flies-esque Showtime series about a girls soccer team stranded in the wilderness, cleans up nice. Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, 13 Sep. 2022 And so these Chili Peppers remain instantly legible and profoundly complicated, totally visceral and borderline mystical. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2022 While certainly not for the squeamish, these visceral images, made in the ’60s,’70s and ’90s, are not to be missed. Brian P. Kelly, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 The film moves along nicely but exhibits little flair for white-knuckle suspense or visceral action. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 8 Sep. 2022 What emerged was particularly of-the-moment work, at a critical time given the pandemic, much of it infused with a visceral materiality and multisensory feel.Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022 The track should be racy, Houpt said, and fan experience visceral. Dave Kallmann, Journal Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2022 Shockingly swift for its size, superb automatic transmission, visceral V-8 soundtrack. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 30 Aug. 2022 See More