Vocab Words Digestive System

Digestive System

Amylase: any of a widely distributed class of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of starch, glycogen, and related polysaccharides to oligosaccharides, maltose, or glucose.

Bile: a bitter, alkaline, yellow or greenish liquid, secreted by the liver, that aids in absorption and digestion, esp. of fats.

Epiglottis: a thin, valve like, cartilaginous structure that covers the glottis during swallowing, preventing the entrance of food and drink into the larynx.

Esophagus: a muscular passage connecting the mouth or pharynx with the stomach in invertebrate and vertebrate animals

Gallbladder: a pear-shaped, muscular sac attached to the undersurface of the right lobe of the liver, in which bile is stored and concentrated.

Large intestine : The portion of the intestine that extends from the ileum to the anus, forming an arch around the convolutions of the small intestine and including the cecum, colon, rectum, and anal canal.

Liver : a large, reddish-brown, glandular organ located in the upper right side of the abdominal cavity, divided by fissures into five lobes and functioning in the secretion of bile and various metabolic processes.

Pancreas: a gland, situated near the stomach, that secretes a digestive fluid into the intestine through one or more ducts and also secretes the hormone insulin.

Pepsin: an enzyme, produced in the stomach, which in the presence of hydrochloric acid splits proteins into proteoses and peptones.

Peristalsis: the progressive wave of contraction and relaxation of a tubular muscular system, esp. the alimentary canal, by which the contents are forced through the system.

Rectum: the comparatively straight, terminal section of the intestine, ending in the anus.

Small