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peristalsis
per·i·stal·sis
[
pèrrə stáwlsiss
]
(
plural
per·i·stal·ses
[
pèrrə stáwl sz
]
)
noun
Definition:
muscle contractions:
the waves of involuntary muscle contractions that transport food, waste matter, or other contents through a tube-shaped organ such as the intestine
[
Mid-19th century. < modern Latin< Greek
peristaltikos
"clasping, compressing" <
peristellein
"place around" <
stellein
"to place"
]
per·i·stal·tic
adjective
per·i·stal·ti·cal·ly
[
pèrrə stáwltikəlee
]
adverb
Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
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