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Anatomy & Physiology vocabulary · Digestive and Urinary Systems

Liver

Meaning in anatomy & physiology, with examples

/ˈlɪvər/nounCore term

In anatomy & physiology, liver means: The large organ in the upper right abdomen that processes nutrients, makes bile and many blood proteins, stores glycogen, and breaks down drugs, alcohol and toxins.

In Turkish: karaciğer

How it is used

The largest internal organ. Technical words use hepat- or hepatic: hepatic artery, hepatic portal vein, hepatocyte. Clinicians talk about liver function tests (LFTs) and liver enzymes.

Example sentences

  1. The liver receives blood from both the hepatic artery and the portal vein.

  2. Bile made in the liver is stored in the gallbladder.

Common collocations

  • liver function tests
  • liver enzymes
  • lobe of the liver
  • liver cell
  • hepato-A word part from Greek meaning 'liver'. It appears in hepatic (of the liver), hepatocyte (liver cell) and hepatitis (inflammation of the liver).
  • 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.
  • metabolismAll the chemical reactions in the body's cells that break down food for energy and build new molecules. It includes catabolism (breaking down) and anabolism (building up).
  • pancreasA gland behind the stomach with two jobs: it makes digestive enzymes that flow into the duodenum, and its islet cells release hormones such as insulin and glucagon into the blood.
  • 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.

More terms: Digestive and Urinary Systems

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