Vocabulary & Check Your Knowledge

Digestive System Vocabulary

Ampulla

A sac-like enlargement of a canal or duct.

Bicarbonate

A by-product of the body’s metabolism.

Carbohydrates

The sugars, starches and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables and milk products.

Convex

Curved outwards.

Distal

Away from the center of the body or from the point of attachment.

Emulsification

The process of breaking down the fat into smaller blood cells which makes it easy for enzymes to function and digest food.

Exocrine

To secrete externally, directly or through a duct.

Fundus

A part of a hollow organ.

Hiatal

Location where the diaphragm has a small opening (hiatus) through which the esophagus passes before connecting.

Hilum

A concave region where blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves also enter the lungs.

Labia

Lips of the mouth.

Lacteals

The lymphatic vessels of the small intestine which absorb digested fats.

Lingual Tonsils

A collection of lymphatic tissue located in the lamina propria of the root of the tongue.

Lymphoid

Resembling lymph or lymphatic tissues.

Malabsorption

A disorder that occurs when people are unable to absorb nutrients from their diets.

Maldigestion

Poor breakdown of food.

Nasal Cavity

The inside of your nose.

Neurosensory

Relating to afferent nerves.

Omentum

Fatty tissue that stretches over the abdomen, plays a role in immune response and the growth of certain cancers.

Palatine Tonsils

A pair of soft tissue masses located at the rear of the throat (pharynx).

Proximal

Situated nearer to the center of the body or the point of attachment.

Pyloric Sphincter

A band of smooth muscle at the junction between the pylorus of the stomach and the duodenum of the small intestine.

Quadrate

A square or rectangular shape.

Stratified Squamous Epithelium

Cells arranged in layers upon a basal membrane.

Digestive System Glossary Reinforcement Activity

Digestive System Glossary Reinforcement Activity (Text version)
  1. ______ [Blank 1] is a band of smooth muscle at the junction between the pylorus of the stomach and the duodenum of the small intestine.
    1. Ampulla
    2. Quadrate
    3. Pyloric sphincter
  2. Fatty tissue that stretches over the abdomen, plays a role in immune response and the growth of certain cancers is called _____[Blank 2].
    1. Fundus
    2. Convex
    3. Omentum
  3. The process of breaking down the fat into smaller blood cells which makes it easy for enzymes to function and digest food is called _____[Blank 3].
    1. Bicarbonate
    2. Malabsorption
    3. Emulsification
  4. ______[Blank 4] is the location where the diaphragm has a small opening through which the esophagus passes before connecting.
    1. Hiatal
    2. Lacteals
    3. Hilum
  5. Situated nearer to the center of the body or the point of attachment is the ____ [Blank 5].
    1. Proximal
    2. Distal
    3. Quadrate

Check your answers: [1]

Activity source: Digestive System Glossary Reinforcement Activity by Gisele Tuzon, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. /Text version added.

Attribution

Except where otherwise noted, this chapter is adapted from “Digestive System” in Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY 4.0. / A derivative of Betts et al., which can be accessed for free from Anatomy and Physiology (OpenStax). Adaptations: dividing Digestive System chapter content into sub-chapters.

  1. 1. Pyloric sphincter, 2. Omentum, 3. Emulsification, 4. Hiatal, 5. Proximal, ↵

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Building a Medical Terminology Foundation 2e Copyright © 2024 by Kimberlee Carter; Marie Rutherford; and Connie Stevens is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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