Language of Medicine 7 - Vocabulary

Question 1

Small artery

Answer 1

arteriole

Question 2

Active form of Vitamin D, secreted by the kidney

Answer 2

calciferol

Question 3

Cup-like collecting region of the renal pelvis.

Greek for kalux, meaning a cup or case surrounding a flower bud

Answer 3

calyx or clix

plural: calyces or calices

Question 4

Tube for injecting or removing fluids

Answer 4

catheter

Question 5

Outer region of an organ; the renal cortex is the outer region of the kidney.
(cortical means pertaining to the cerfex)

Answer 5

cortex

Question 6

Nitrogenous waste excreted in urine. Creatinine clearance is a measure of the kidneys in removing
(clearing) creatinine from the blood.

Answer 6

creatinine

Question 7

Chemical element that carries an electrical charge when dissolved in water. Electrolytes are necessary for functioning of muscles and nerves. The kidneys maintain the proper balance of electrolytes and water in the blood. Potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+) are electrolytes.

Answer 7

electrolyte

Question 8

Hormone secreted by the kidney to stimulate the production of red blood cells by bone marrow.
(Poietin means a substance that forms)

Answer 8

erythropoietin (EPO)

Question 9

Process whereby some substances, but not all, pass through a filter.

Answer 9

filtration

Question 10

Enclosing structure surrounding each glomerulus. The glomerular capsule is also known as Bowman’s capsule and it collects the material that is filtered from the blood through the walls of the glomerulus.

Answer 10

glomerular capsule

Question 11

Tiny ball of capillaries (microscopic blood vessels) in the kidney.

Answer 11

glomerulus

plural: glomeruli

Question 12

Depression in an organ where blood vessels and nerves enter and leave. Hilum comes from the Latin meaning a small thing. It is also used in the respiratory system to mark the depression in the lung where blood vessels, bronchus, and lymphatic vessels enter and leave.

Answer 12

hilum

Question 13

One of two bean-shaped organs on either side of the backbone in the lumbar region; it filters nitrogenous wastes from the bloodstream to form urine.

Answer 13

kidney

Question 14

Opening or canal.

Answer 14

meatus

Question 15

Inner region of an organ. The renal medulla is the inner region of the kidney. The term comes from the Latin medulla, meaning marrow (inner part). The medullary cavity in long bones is the innermost part containing red and yellow marrow.

Answer 15

medulla

Question 16

Combination of glomerulus and renal tubule where filtration, reabsorption, and secretion take place in the kidney, each capable of forming urine by itself. There are about 1 million nephrons in a kidney.

Answer 16

nephron

Question 17

Substance containing nitrogen and excreted in urine. Examples of nitrogenous wastes are urea, uric acid, and creatinine.

Answer 17

nitrogenous waste

Question 18

Electrolyte regulated by the kidney so that a proper concentration is maintained within the blood. Potassium is essential for allowing muscle contraction of nervous impulses.

Answer 18

potassium (K+)

Question 19

Process whereby renal tubules return materials necessary to the body back into the bloodstream.

Answer 19

reabsorption

Question 20

Blood vessels that carries blood to the kidney.

Answer 20

renal artery

Question 21

Central collecting region in the kidney.

Answer 21

renal pelvis

Question 22

Microscopic tube in the kidney where urine is formed after filtration.

Answer 22

renal tubule

Question 23

Blood vessel that carries blood away from the kidney and toward the heart.

Answer 23

renal vein

Question 24

Hormone secreted by the kidney; it raises blood pressure by influencing vasconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels)

Answer 24

renin

Question 25

Electrolyte regulated in the blood and urine by the kidneys; needed for proper transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity, and other metabolic functions.
A common form of sodium is sodium chloride (table salt).

Answer 25

sodium (Na+)

Question 26

Triangular area in the urinary bladder.

Answer 26

trigone

Question 27

Major nitrogenous waste excreted in urine.

Answer 27

urea

Question 28

One of the two tubes leading from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.

Answer 28

ureter

Question 29

Tube leading from the urinary bladder to the outside of the body.

Answer 29

urethra

Question 30

Nitrogenous waste excreted in the urine.

Answer 30

uric acid

Question 31

Hollow, muscular sac that holds and stores urine.

Answer 31

urinary bladder

Question 32

Process of expelling urine; also called micturation.

Answer 32

urination (voiding)