Digestive System Various Terms

Question 0

bolus

Answer 0

mass of masticated food after being broken down in the mouth and ready to be swallowed

Question 1

Buccal cavity

Answer 1

oral cavity or mouth (bucca means cheeks)

Question 2

mastication

Answer 2

mechanically breaking down food by the teeth

Question 3

dentin

Answer 3

part of tooth below the enamel; the main structure of the tooth

Question 4

pulp

Answer 4

inner most part of tooth which contains nerves and blood vessels

Question 5

gingiva

Answer 5

gums

Question 6

deglutition

Answer 6

swallowing

Question 7

bilirubin

Answer 7

Orange-colored or yellowish pigment in bile. Formed principally by the breakdown or hemoglobin in red blood cells after termination of their normal lifespan.

Question 8

exocrine

Answer 8

denotes a gland that secretes its products through excretory ducts to the surface of an organ or tissue into a vessel.

Question 9

sphincter

Answer 9

circular band of muscle fibers that constricts a passage or closes a natural opening of the body.

Question 10

hard palate

Answer 10

anterior portion of the roof of the mouth

Question 11

soft palate

Answer 11

posterior portion of the roof of the mouth

Question 12

pylorus

Answer 12

the part of the stomach where most digestion takes place

Question 13

rugae

Answer 13

folds in the stomach that gradually unfold as the stomach fills

Question 14

chyme

Answer 14

a semi liquid substance that the bolus is turned into in the stomach and then enters duodenum through the pyloric sphincter

Question 15

peristalsis

Answer 15

coordinated, rhythmic, muscle contractions of the digestive system that propel food through

Question 16

length of small intestine

Answer 16

20 feet

duodenum: 10 inches
jejunum: 8 feet
ileum: 12 feet

Question 17

large intestine

Answer 17

about five feet long
no digestion takes place
only secretion is mucous which lubricates fecal matter
three parts: cecum, colon, rectum
cecum: a small pouch that hangs inferior to the ileocecal valve
main functions of colon are to absorb water and minerals and eliminate undigested material

Question 18

pancreas

Answer 18

endocrine and exocrine

endocrine: secretes insulin directly into blood stream to maintain normal blood glucose levels
exocrine: produces digestive enzymes that pass into the duodenum through the pancreatic duct