peristalsis
UK/ˌpɛɹɪˈstalsɪs//ˌpɛɹɪˈstælsɪs/
peristalsis noun: the coordinated, rhythmic, wavelike contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle that propels contents through a hollow organ, particularly food through the gastrointestinal tract.
Noun
peristalsis (countable and uncountable, plural peristalses)
- The coordinated, rhythmic, wavelike contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle that propels contents through a hollow organ, particularly food through the gastrointestinal tract.
- Synonyms:
- enterocinesia, vermiculation
peristalsis meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Arabic
peristalsis in Hindi
- rhythmic contraction of the digestive tract
- क्रमाकुंचन kramākuñcan
peristalsis in Tamil
- rhythmic contraction of the digestive tract
- சுற்றிழுப்பசைவு cuṟṟiḻuppacaivu
peristalsis in Marathi
- rhythmic contraction of the digestive tract
- आंत्रचलन āntraclan
peristalsis in Arabic
- rhythmic contraction of the digestive tract
- تَمَعُّج tamaʕʕuj
More languagesFewer languages
- peristalsis in Indonesian
- peristaltik
- peristalsis in Vietnamese
- sự nhu động
Synonyms of peristalsis
Forms of peristalsis
| plural | peristalses |
|---|
Origin of peristalsis
From Ancient Greek δύναμις περισταλτική (dúnamis peristaltikḗ, “the action of the bowels by which their contents are propelled”), from περιστέλλω (peristéllō, “to wrap around”), from περι- (peri-, “around”) + στέλλω (stéllō, “to make ready, to prepare”).
Words formed from peristalsis
Questions about peristalsis
- What does peristalsis mean?
- Peristalsis means the coordinated, rhythmic, wavelike contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle that propels contents through a hollow organ, particularly food through the gastrointestinal tract.
- What is peristalsis in Hindi?
- Peristalsis in Hindi is क्रमाकुंचन (kramākuñcan). See Peristalsis meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is peristalsis?
- Peristalsis is a noun.
- How do you pronounce peristalsis?
- Peristalsis is pronounced /ˌpɛɹɪˈstalsɪs/ (UK).
- What is the plural of peristalsis?
- The plural of peristalsis is peristalses.
Words near peristalsis in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: peristalsis (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-peristalsis.ogg.
Cite this entry: “peristalsis.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/peristalsis. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.