Digestive System Glossary
Digestive System and Nutrition: Key Terms with definitions
| anorexia nervosa | An eating disorder characterized by limiting caloric intake; primarily exemplify by impractical fear of gaining weight; symptoms comprise of muscle wasting, osteoporosis, brittle hair etc. |
| bile | The Greenish-yellow or brownish liquid with a bitter unpleasant taste that is produced by the liver; temporarily stored and concentrated in gallbladder and released into the small intestine; emulsifies fat |
| bolus | A round, small lump of chewed and swallowed food inside the digestive tract |
| calorie | A unit for measuring how much energy food will produce; Amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius |
| chyme | Thick, semiliquid food material (partially digested fluid) that passes from the stomach to the small intestine |
| colon | A section of the large intestine between the cecum and the rectum; includes ascending, transverse, sigmoid portions, and descending portions |
| digestion | Chemical or mechanical process of breaking down food that can be used to obtain energy |
| epiglottis | A thin piece of tissue at the back of the tongue that covers the opening of the larynx and the trachea while swallowing. |
| esophagus | The hollow muscular tube extending from the throat to the stomach for moving swallowed food |
| essential amino acids | Group of eight amino acids that must be consumed by humans, since the body doesn’t make them |
| gallbladder | A sac-shaped organ located beneath the right lobe of the liver that stores and concentrates bile |
| hepatitis | A term for viral inflammation of the liver caused by ingested toxins and viral infections |
| large intestine | A major portion of the digestive tract that extends from the small intestine to the anus; consists of cecum, appendix, colon, rectum and anal canal |
| mineral | An inorganic chemical compound found in nature; minerals are needed in the diet for normal metabolic functioning |
| mucosa | Also called mucous membrane; membrane that lines a body cavity that opens to the outside of the body |
| muscularis | Thin layers of smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract wall |
| nutrient | Chemical substance in foods that are required by the body to keep a living thing alive and to help it to grow |
| pancreas | A soft, oblong organ located behind the stomach; secretes digestive enzymes, bicarbonate, hormones insulin and glucagon |
| pepsin | Enzyme secreted by gastric glands of the stomach; digests proteins to peptides |
| peristalsis | The series of wavelike muscular contractions that move food through the digestive tract |
| pharynx | Also called the throat; the region of the digestive tract between the mouth and the esophagus; serves as a passageway for food and air |
| salivary gland | Three pairs of glands (parotid, submandibular, and sublingual) in the oral cavity that secrete saliva to moisten the oral mucosa. |
| serosa | The outermost tissue layer of the gastrointestinal tract wall; consists of a thin layer of loose connective tissue covered by a simple squamous epithelium (mesothelium) |
| villus (pl. villi) | Fingerlike projection of the inner small intestinal wall; increases the surface area of the lining for absorption |
| vitamin | An organic compound required as a vital nutrient in small amounts; some vitamins are called coenzymes; there are many different vitamins |
Digestive System and Nutrition: Other Terms you should know
| absorption | jaundice |
| aerobic | lacteal |
| amoeba | lactose intolerance |
| anorexia nervosa | large intestine |
| apical membrane | lingual |
| bacteriolytic | lipase |
| bile | liver |
| bilirubin | lumen |
| bolus | macerated |
| bulimia | mechanical digestion |
| bulimia nervosa | mesenteries |
| calorie | metabolism |
| cardiac sphincter | milled |
| cecum | mineral |
| chemical digestion | movement |
| chemiosmosis | mucosa |
| cholecystokinin | muscle dysmorphia |
| cholesterol | muscularis |
| chylomicrons | nutrient |
| chyme | nutrients |
| cirrhosis | obesity |
| colon | obligate anaerobes |
| constipation | oblique |
| defecation | osteoporosis |
| dental caries | pancreas |
| diaphragm | pancreatic amylase |
| diarrhea | pancreatic juice |
| digestion | papilla |
| diverticulosis | pepsin |
| duodenum | peptic ulcer |
| elimination | periodontitis |
| epiglottis | peristalsis |
| esophagus | peristaltic wave |
| essential amino acids | peritonitis |
| essential fatty acids | pharynx |
| fiber | polyp |
| fundus | pyloric sphincter |
| gallbladder | rectum |
| gallstone | saliva |
| gangrene | salivary amylase |
| gastric | salivary gland |
| gastric fluid | secretin |
| gastric gland | segmentation |
| gastrin | serosa |
| gastrointestinal tract | small intestine |
| glottis | soft palate |
| glycolysis | sphincter |
| hard palate | stomach |
| heartburn | submucosa |
| hemorrhoid | trypsin |
| hepatic portal system | ulcer |
| hepatitis | urea |
| hepatocytes | vegan |
| hormone | villus |
| hydrolyze | vitamin |
| ingestion |
Very helpful in my studies, by the way I am from the Philippines. Keep up the good work