General Anatomy · Digestive System · Hard

Peristalsis

Meaning: Wave-like muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract.

In practice: Without peristalsis, food would not move from the oesophagus to the stomach.

Word parts

Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.

Two questions on related general anatomy words.

Which word means: Tooth-like peg projecting upward from the axis that articulates with the atlas.

Which word means: The skin and underlying tissue covering the skull.

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