peristalsis
English
    
WOTD – 5 October 2010
    Etymology
    
From Ancient Greek δύναμις περισταλτική (dúnamis peristaltikḗ, “the action of the bowels by which their contents are propelled”) , from περιστέλλω (peristéllō, “to wrap around”), from περι- (peri-, “around”) + στέλλω (stéllō, “to make ready, to prepare”).
Pronunciation
    
Noun
    
peristalsis (countable and uncountable, plural peristalses)
- (medicine) The rhythmic, wave-like contraction and relaxation of muscles so as to propagate motion, as of food in the digestive tract.
Synonyms
    
- enterocinesia
- vermiculation (dated)
Derived terms
    
Translations
    
rhythmic contraction of the digestive tract
| 
 | 
Spanish
    
    
Related terms
    
Further reading
    
- “peristalsis”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
    This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.