peristalsis

peristalsis

English

WOTD – 5 October 2010

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δύναμις περισταλτική (dúnamis peristaltikḗ, “the action of the bowels by which their contents are propelled”) , from περιστέλλω (peristéllō, “to wrap around”), from περι- (peri-, “around”) +‎ στέλλω (stéllō, “to make ready, to prepare”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌpɛɹɪˈstalsɪs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌpɛɹɪˈstælsɪs/, /ˌpɛɹɪˈstɑlsɪs/

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Noun

peristalsis (countable and uncountable, plural peristalses)

1. (medicine) The rhythmic, wave-like contraction and relaxation of muscles so as to propagate motion, as of food in the digestive tract.

Synonyms

• enterocinesia
• vermiculation (dated)

Derived terms

• antiperistalsis
• aperistalsis
• dysperistalsis
• hyperperistalsis
• hypoperistalsis
• normoperistalsis
• peristaltic
• peristaltically
• retroperistalsis

 

Translations

rhythmic contraction of the digestive tract

Armenian: գալարակծկանք (hy) (galarakckankʿ), պերիստալտիկա (hy) (peristaltika) Belarusian: перыстальтыка f (pjerystalʹtyka) Bulgarian: перисталтика (bg) (peristaltika) Catalan: peristaltisme m, peristalsi f Czech: peristaltika f Danish: peristaltik Finnish: peristalttinen liike, peristaltiikka (fi) French: péristaltisme (fr) m Galician: peristaltismo (gl) m German: Peristaltik (de) f Greek: περίσταλσις (perístalsis) Hindi: क्रमाकुंचन m (kramākuñcan) Italian: peristalsi (it) Japanese: 蠕動 (ja) (ぜんどう, zendou) Maori: kotēpana Marathi: आंत्रचलन (āntraclan) Polish: perystaltyka (pl) f Portuguese: peristaltismo (pt) m, peristalse f Romanian: peristaltică (ro) f, peristaltism (ro) n Russian: периста́льтика (ru) f (peristálʹtika) Spanish: peristalsis (es) f Swedish: peristaltik (sv) c Tamil: சுற்றிழுப்பசைவு (cuṟṟiḻuppacaivu), சுற்றிழுப்பசைவு (cuṟṟiḻuppacaivu) Turkish: peristalti Ukrainian: перистальтика (perystalʹtyka) Vietnamese: sự nhu động

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Spanish

Noun

peristalsis f (plural peristalsis)

1. peristalsis

Related terms

• peristáltico
• antiperistáltico

Further reading

• “peristalsis”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014