PERISTALSIS

Peristalsis

Peristalsis is a radially symmetrical contraction and relaxation of muscles which propagates in a wave down a muscular tube, in an anterograde fashion. In humans, peristalsis is found in the contraction of smooth muscles to propel contents through the digestive tract. It is wave contraction of longitudinal and circular muscles preceded by wave relaxation of these muscles. Earthworms use a similar mechanism to drive their locomotion. The word is derived from New Latin and comes from the Greek peristallein, "to wrap around," from peri-, "around" + stallein, "to place".

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peristalsis

Noun

  1. The rhythmic, wave-like contraction of the digestive tract that forces food through it.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: peristalsis
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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