Pronunciation: [ɡˈɪzəd] (IPA) 
The word "gizzard" is spelled with two "z"s, however, it is pronounced with a "z" sound in the beginning and a "d" sound at the end. Its IPA transcription is /ˈɡɪzərd/. The word refers to a muscular, digestive organ found in most birds and some reptiles. The spelling of the word may seem confusing, but it follows the English language convention of using "zz" after a short vowel sound, as seen in other words like "fizz" or "buzz."
The term "gizzard" refers to a specialized muscular digestive organ found in certain animals, particularly birds, reptiles, and some fish species. It is crucial for grinding food into smaller, more digestible particles. Structurally, the gizzard is typically located between the stomach and the intestines in the digestive system.
The gizzard is characterized by its thick, strong muscular walls, which are specially designed for breaking down food items that require additional mechanical processing. These walls contain layers of powerful muscles that contract and relax in a rhythmic manner, similar to the action of the heart, thereby generating the necessary force to crush and grind food.
In essence, the gizzard serves as a mechanical equivalent to teeth, performing the process of mastication in animals that lack or have limited dentition. This process allows them to break down and pulverize tough, fibrous, or hard food materials such as seeds, grains, or even small stones or grit that are ingested deliberately to facilitate grinding.
The gizzard plays a vital role in food digestion, as it assists in exposing a larger surface area of the ingested food to the digestive enzymes present within the intestines. This improved enzymatic access subsequently facilitates efficient nutrient absorption and energy extraction from the consumed food.
Overall, the gizzard is a crucial organ for animals with no teeth or with incomplete dentition, enabling them to effectively process and utilize their diet by mechanically breaking down food into smaller particles and preparing it for final digestion and absorption within the digestive tract.
The second or muscular stomach of a graminivorous bird.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The strong muscular stomach of a fowl or bird.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word gizzard comes from the Middle English word giser or gyser, which can be traced back to the Old French word giser or guiser. Ultimately, it is believed to have originated from the Latin word gigeria, which refers to the cooked entrails (especially the gizzard) of poultry. The Latin term likely comes from a Greek word that roughly translates to animal stomach.
