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Digestive system
Digestive system vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alimentary canal | the whole passage along which food passes through the body from mouth to anus. It includes the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. |
| Anus | the opening at the end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste matter leaves the body. |
| Appendicitis | a serious medical condition in which the appendix becomes inflamed and painful. |
| Appendix | a tube-shaped sac attached to and opening into the lower end of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals. |
| Bile | a bitter greenish-brown alkaline fluid that aids digestion and is secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. |
| Chemical digestion | As food travels from your mouth into your digestive system, it’s broken down by digestive enzymes that turn it into smaller nutrients that your body can easily absorb. |
| Chyme | the pulpy acidic fluid that passes from the stomach to the small intestine, consisting of gastric juices and partly digested food. |
| Colon | the part of the large intestine that extends from the cecum to the rectum. |
| Constipation | a condition in which there is difficulty in emptying the bowels, usually associated with hardened feces. |
| Diarrhea | a condition in which feces are discharged from the bowels frequently and in a liquid form. |
| Esophagus | the part of the alimentary canal that connects the throat to the stomach; the gullet. In humans and other vertebrates it is a muscular tube lined with mucous membrane. |
| Feces | waste matter discharged from the bowels after food has been digested; excrement. |
| Gall bladder | the small sac-shaped organ beneath the liver, in which bile is stored after secretion by the liver and before release into the intestine. |
| Gastric juice | a thin, clear, virtually colorless acidic fluid secreted by the stomach glands and active in promoting digestion. |
| Hydrochloric acid | a strongly acidic solution of the gas hydrogen chloride in water. |
| Large intestine | the cecum, colon, and rectum collectively. |
| Lipases | an enzyme (as one secreted by the pancreas) that catalyzes the breakdown of fats and lipoproteins usually into fatty acids and glycerol. |
| Liver | a large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates, involved in many metabolic processes. |
| Mechanical digestion | is the physical act of breaking down the food by non-chemical means. |
| Mucus | a slimy substance, typically not miscible with water, secreted by mucous membranes and glands for lubrication, protection, etc. |
| Oral cavity | he opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge. |
| Pancreas | a large gland behind the stomach that secretes digestive enzymes into the duodenum. Embedded in the pancreas are the islets of Langerhans, which secrete into the blood the hormones insulin and glucagon. |
| Pepsin | the chief digestive enzyme in the stomach, which breaks down proteins into polypeptides. |
| Peristalsis | the involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the intestine or another canal, creating wavelike movements that push the contents of the canal forward. |
| Ptyalin | a form of amylase found in the saliva of humans and some other animals. |
| Rectum | the final section of the large intestine, terminating at the anus. |
| Rennin | an enzyme secreted into the stomach of unweaned mammals, and in some lower animals and plants, causing the curdling of milk. |
| Saliva | watery liquid secreted into the mouth by glands, providing lubrication for chewing and swallowing, and aiding digestion. |
| Salvary glands | any of various glands that discharge a fluid secretion and especially saliva into the mouth cavity and that in humans comprise large compound racemose glands including the parotid glands, the sublingual glands, and the submandibular glands. |
| Small intestine | the part of the intestine that runs between the stomach and the large intestine; the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum collectively. |
| Stomach | the internal organ in which the major part of the digestion of food occurs, being (in humans and many mammals) a pear-shaped enlargement of the alimentary canal linking the esophagus to the small intestine. |
| Ulcer | an open sore on an external or internal surface of the body, caused by a break in the skin or mucous membrane that fails to heal. |
| Villi | any of numerous minute elongated projections set closely together on a surface, typically increasing its surface area for the absorption of substances, in particular. |
Created by:
Lisbeth Almonte
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