Okuzeka
Anatomy & Physiology vocabulary · Digestive and Urinary Systems

Stomach

Meaning in anatomy & physiology, with examples

/ˈstʌmək/nounCore term

In anatomy & physiology, stomach means: The J-shaped muscular bag between the esophagus and the small intestine. It stores food, mixes it with acid and enzymes, and passes it on slowly to the duodenum.

In Turkish: mide

How it is used

Technical words use gastr- or gastric: gastric acid, gastric juice, gastric emptying. In everyday English 'stomach' often means the whole belly ('stomach ache'), so it is worth checking exactly what a patient means.

Example sentences

  1. The stomach lies mainly in the upper left part of the abdomen.

  2. Cells in the stomach lining produce hydrochloric acid.

Common collocations

  • stomach lining
  • stomach acid
  • empty stomach
  • gastric juice
  • esophagusThe muscular tube that carries food and liquid from the throat (pharynx) to the stomach. It runs behind the trachea and passes through the diaphragm.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • gastro-A word part from Greek meaning 'stomach'. It appears in gastric (of the stomach), gastrointestinal (of the stomach and intestines) and gastroenterology.
  • enzymeA protein that speeds up a specific chemical reaction in the body without being used up. Digestive enzymes, for example, break food down into molecules small enough to be absorbed.

More terms: Digestive and Urinary Systems

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

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