Stomach

In anatomy, the stomach (in ancient Greek στόμαχος) is an organ in the alimentary canal used to digest food. Generally, the stomach's primary function is not the absorption of nutrients from digested food; this task is usually performed by the intestine.

Related Topics:
Anatomy - Greek - Organ - Alimentary canal - Digest

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Latin names for the stomach include Ventriculus and Gaster; many medical terms related to the stomach start in "gastro-" or "gastric".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In humans, the stomach is a highly acidic environment (maintained by the secretion of hydrochloric acid) with peptidase digestive enzymes.

Related Topics:
Human - Acid - Hydrochloric acid - Peptidase - Enzyme

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In ruminants, the stomach is a large multichambered organ that hosts symbiotic bacteria which produce enzymes required for the digestion of cellulose from plant matter. The partially digested plant matter passes through each of the stomach's chambers in sequence, being regurgitated and rechewed at least once in the process.

Related Topics:
Ruminant - Symbiotic - Bacteria - Enzyme - Cellulose - Plant

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~