Chapter 5: Digestive System Vocabulary

Front 1

Absorption

Back 1

Passage of materials through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream.

Front 2

Amino Acids

Back 2

Small building blocks (like links in a chain), released when proteins are digested.

Front 3

Amylase

Back 3

Enzyme (-ase) secreted by the pancreas and salivary glands to digest starch (amyl/o).

Front 4

Anus

Back 4

Terminal end or opening of the digestive tract to the outside of the body.

Front 5

Appendix

Back 5

Blind pouch hanging from the cecum (in the right lower quadrant [RLQ]). Literally means hanging (pend/o) onto (ap-, which is a form of ad-).

Front 6

Bile

Back 6

Digestive juice made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder.

Front 7

Bilirubin

Back 7

Pigment released by the liver in bile.

Front 8

Bowel

Back 8

Intestine.

Front 9

Canine Teeth

Back 9

Pointed, dog-like teeth next to the incisors. Also called cuspids or eyeteeth.

Front 10

Cecum

Back 10

First part of the large intestine.

Front 11

Colon

Back 11

Portion of the large intestine consisting of the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid segments.

Front 12

Common Bile Duct

Back 12

Carries bile from the liver and gallbladder to the duodenum. Also called the choledochus.

Front 13

Defecation

Back 13

Elimination of feces from the digestive tract through the anus.

Front 14

Deglutition

Back 14

Swallowing.

Front 15

Dentin

Back 15

Primary material found in teeth.

Front 16

Digestion

Back 16

Breakdown of complex foods into simpler forms.

Front 17

Duodenum

Back 17

First part of the small intestine. Duo=2, den=10; the duodenum measures 12 inches long.

Front 18

Elimination

Back 18

Act of removal of materials from the body; in the digestive system, the removal of indigestible materials as feces.

Front 19

Emulsification

Back 19

Physical process of breaking up large fat globules into smaller globules, thereby increasing the surface area that enzymes can use to digest the fat.

Front 20

Enamel

Back 20

Hard, outermost layer of a tooth.

Front 21

Enzyme

Back 21

Chemical that speeds up a reaction between substances.

Front 22

Esophagus

Back 22

Tube connecting the throat to the stomach.

Front 23

Fatty Acids

Back 23

Substances produced when fats are digested.

Front 24

Feces

Back 24

Solid wastes; stool.

Front 25

Gallbladder

Back 25

Small sac under the liver; stores bile.

Front 26

Glucose

Back 26

Simple sugar.

Front 27

Glycogen

Back 27

Starch; glucose is stored in the form of glycogen in liver cells.

Front 28

Hydrochloric Acid

Back 28

Substance produced by the stomach; necessary for digestion of food.

Front 29

Ileum

Back 29

Third part of the small intestine; from the Greek eilos, meaning twisted.

Front 30

Incisor

Back 30

Any one of four front teeth in the dental arch.

Front 31

Insulin

Back 31

Hormone produced by the endocrine cells of the pancreas.

Front 32

Jejunum

Back 32

Second part of the small intestine.

Front 33

Lipase

Back 33

Pancreatic enzyme necessary to digest fats.

Front 34

Liver

Back 34

Large organ located in the RUQ of the abdomen.

Front 35

Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES)

Back 35

Ring of muscles between the esophagus and the stomach. Also called the cardiac sphincter.

Front 36

Mastication

Back 36

Chewing

Front 37

Molar Teeth

Back 37

Sixth, seventh, and eighth teeth from the middle on either side of the dental arch.

Front 38

Palate

Back 38

Roof of mouth.

Front 39

Pancreas

Back 39

Organ under the stomach; produces insulin and enzymes.

Front 40

Papillae (singular: papilla)

Back 40

Small elevations of the tongue; a nipple-like elevation.

Front 41

Parotid Gland

Back 41

Salivary gland within the cheek, just anterior to the ear.

Front 42

Peristalsis

Back 42

Rhythmic contractions of the tubular organs.

Front 43

Pharynx

Back 43

Throat, the common passageway for food from the mouth and for air from the nose.

Front 44

Portal Vein

Back 44

Large vein bringing blood to the liver from the intestines.

Front 45

Protease

Back 45

Enzyme that digests protein.

Front 46

Pulp

Back 46

Soft tissue within a tooth, containing nerves and blood vessels.

Front 47

Pyloric Sphincter

Back 47

Ring of muscle at the end of the stomach, near the duodenum.

Front 48

Pylorus

Back 48

Distal region of the stomach, opening to the duodenum.

Front 49

Rectum

Back 49

Last section of the large intestine, connecting the end of the colon and the anus.

Front 50

Rugae

Back 50

Ridges on the hard palate and the wall of the stomach.

Front 51

Salvia

Back 51

Digestive juice produced by salivary glands.

Front 52

Salivary Glands

Back 52

Parotid, sublingual, and submandibular glands.

Front 53

Sigmoid Colon

Back 53

Fourth and last, S-shaped segment of the colon, just before the rectum; empties into the rectum.

Front 54

Sphincter

Back 54

Circular ring of muscle that constricts a passage or closes a natural opening.

Front 55

Stomach

Back 55

Muscular organ that receives food from the esophagus.

Front 56

Triglycerides

Back 56

Fat molecules composed of three parts fatty acids and one part glycerol; a subgroup of lipids.