peristalsis
n.
movement of the intestines; movement of the stomach
Peristalsis
Peristalsis is the rhythmic contraction of smooth muscles to propel contents through the digestive tract. The word is derived from
New Latin and comes from the
Greek peristaltikos, peristaltic, from peristellein, "to wrap around," and stellein, "to place."In much of the
gastrointestinal tract,
smooth muscles contract in sequence to produce a peristaltic wave which forces a ball of
food (called
bolus while in the
esophagus and gastrointestinal tract and
chyme in the
stomach) along the gastrointestinal tract. Peristaltic movement is initiated by circular smooth muscles contracting behind the chewed material to prevent it from moving back into the mouth, followed by a contraction of longitudinal smooth muscles which pushes the digested food forward.
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peristalsis (f)
n.
peristalsis, movement of the intestines; movement of the stomach
Peristalsis
(n.)
Peristaltic contraction or action.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), edited by Noah Porter.
About
Peristalsis
The rippling motion of muscles in the digestive tract. In the stomach, this motion mixes food with gastric juices, turning it into a thin liquid.