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)
- ______ [Blank 1] is a band of smooth muscle at the junction between the pylorus of the stomach and the duodenum of the small intestine.
- Ampulla
- Quadrate
- Pyloric sphincter
- Fatty tissue that stretches over the abdomen, plays a role in immune response and the growth of certain cancers is called _____[Blank 2].
- Fundus
- Convex
- Omentum
- 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].
- Bicarbonate
- Malabsorption
- Emulsification
- ______[Blank 4] is the location where the diaphragm has a small opening through which the esophagus passes before connecting.
- Hiatal
- Lacteals
- Hilum
- Situated nearer to the center of the body or the point of attachment is the ____ [Blank 5].
- Proximal
- Distal
- 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. Pyloric sphincter, 2. Omentum, 3. Emulsification, 4. Hiatal, 5. Proximal, ↵