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Anatomy & Physiology vocabulary · Physiological Processes

Absorption

Meaning in anatomy & physiology, with examples

/əbˈsɔːrpʃən/nounCommon term

In anatomy & physiology, absorption means: The process by which digested nutrients, water and other substances pass from the gut into the blood or lymph, mostly through the wall of the small intestine.

In Turkish: emilim, absorpsiyon

How it is used

Used in physiology (absorption of glucose, iron, vitamin B12) and in pharmacology, where it describes how a drug enters the bloodstream. The verb is absorb. In the kidney the matching word is reabsorption.

Example sentences

  1. Vitamin B12 absorption takes place in the last part of the small intestine.

  2. Villi greatly increase the surface area available for absorption.

Common collocations

  • absorption of nutrients
  • iron absorption
  • intestinal absorption
  • reabsorption
  • digestionThe process of breaking food down into small molecules that the body can absorb. It is partly mechanical (chewing, churning) and partly chemical, using enzymes.
  • small intestineThe long, coiled tube between the stomach and the large intestine, made up of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Most digestion and absorption of nutrients happens here.
  • diffusionThe movement of particles from an area where they are more concentrated to an area where they are less concentrated, without the cell using energy. Oxygen enters the blood in the lungs this way.
  • large intestineThe final part of the digestive tract, from the cecum to the rectum and anus. It absorbs water and salts from what remains of digested food, and it forms and stores feces.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Physiological Processes

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.