ch. 14 vocab

Ingestion: Eating or taking food into the body.

Digestion: Breaking down food into smaller parts that the body can use.

Absorption: Taking the digested food parts into the bloodstream.

Defecation: Getting rid of solid waste (poop) from the body.

Alimentary Canal: The long tube that food travels through in your body, from mouth to anus.

Mastication: Chewing food.

Sphincter: A ring-like muscle that can close or open a body opening or tube.

Nerve Plexus: A network of nerves that control organs.

Peritoneum: The lining of the abdominal cavity and organs.

Muscularis Externa: Muscle layers of the digestive tract that help move food along.

Gastric Juice: Liquid in the stomach that helps break down food.

Alkaline: A substance with a pH above 7, the opposite of acidic.

Chyme: Soupy mix of partly digested food in the stomach.

Omentum: A fatty apron of tissue in the abdomen that stores fat and supports organs.

Mesentery: Tissue that holds the small intestine in place.

Villi: Tiny, finger-like bumps in the small intestine that absorb nutrients.

Lacteal: A small vessel in the small intestine that absorbs fats.

Brush Border: Fuzzy edge of cells in the small intestine that helps with absorption.

Pancreas: An organ that makes enzymes and hormones for digestion.

Retroperitoneal: Located behind the peritoneum in the abdomen.

Exocrine: Glands that secrete substances through ducts, like sweat glands or salivary glands.

Bolus: A ball of chewed food ready to be swallowed.

Falciform Ligament: Tissue that attaches the liver to the abdominal wall.

Bile: A liquid made in the liver that helps digest fats.

Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and eyes due to liver problems.

Peristalsis: Wave-like muscle movements that push food through the digestive system.

Deglutition: Swallowing.

Monosaccharides: Simple sugars, like glucose.

Carbohydrates: Sugars and starches that give the body energy.

Amino Acids: Building blocks of proteins.

Gastrin: A hormone that tells the stomach to make acid.

Pepsinogen: Inactive form of pepsin, an enzyme that breaks down proteins.

Pepsin: An enzyme in the stomach that breaks down proteins.

Emesis: Vomiting.

Segmentation: Contractions in the small intestine that mix food with digestive juices.

Resident Bacteria: Good bacteria that live in your gut and help with digestion.

Secretin: A hormone that tells the pancreas to release digestive juices.

CCK (Cholecystokinin): A hormone that tells the gallbladder to release bile and the pancreas to release enzymes.

Brush Border Enzymes: Enzymes on the surface of small intestine cells that help break down nutrients.

Pancreatic Juice: Fluid from the pancreas containing enzymes that digest food.