Meaning & use
peristalsis
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabletechnicalmedicalbiology
The wave-like squeezing movements of muscles in the digestive tract that push food and waste along.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: say 'Peristalsis moves the food', not 'a peristalsis'.
Patterns
- peristalsis in the gut
- the muscles that produce peristalsis
Peristalsis carries swallowed food down the esophagus and through the intestines.
If peristalsis slows down, a person may feel bloated and constipated.
The doctor explained that peristalsis is controlled by nerves in the gut wall.
Word forms
| plural (rare) | peristalses |
|---|
Common combinations
- intestinal peristalsis
- Intestinal peristalsis keeps digested food moving toward the colon.
- normal peristalsis
- After surgery they waited for normal peristalsis to return.
- stimulate peristalsis
- A high-fiber diet can help stimulate peristalsis.
- peristalsis in the esophagus
- Peristalsis in the esophagus begins as soon as you swallow.
Synonyms and how they differ
- motility
- A broader medical term for movement in the digestive tract; peristalsis is one specific type of motility.
- contraction
- Refers to any muscle tightening, while peristalsis specifically means the wave of contractions that pushes contents forward.
Word family
- peristaltic adjective
- Describing the wave-like muscular movement, as in 'peristaltic waves'.
Commonly confused: peristalsis or peristyle?
peristalsis vs peristyle
A peristyle is a row of columns around a building; peristalsis is a body process in the gut.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'peristalsis' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Peristalsis' is an uncountable medical noun for the muscle waves that move food along the gut, so only the second sentence fits. The others treat it as a building feature, an object, or a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “peristalsis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.