Digestive System Terminology

1. Introduction to Digestive System Terminology

In this lesson, you will learn terminology related to the digestive system.

The function of the digestive system is to break down the foods you eat, release their nutrients, and absorb those nutrients into the body. The digestive system is continually at work, but people often don’t appreciate the complex tasks it performs until something malfunctions. Consider what happens when you eat an apple. You enjoy the apple’s taste as you chew it, but in the hours that follow, unless something goes amiss and you get a stomachache, you don’t notice your digestive system is working. You may be working, studying, or sleeping, having forgotten all about the apple, but your stomach and intestines are busy digesting it. By the time any waste material is excreted, the body has absorbed all the nutrients it can use from the apple. In short, whether you pay attention or not, the organs of the digestive system perform their specific functions, allowing you to use the food you eat to provide energy for your daily activities.

The figure above shows the basic structure of the human digestive tract. You will learn more about all of these structures later in this course. You can see the basic path traveled by food. Food enters the mouth, then travels through the tubular esophagus to the stomach, located around the middle of the trunk. The liver, an important organ with many functions, covers the top of the stomach and extends to the lower right side. The gallbladder is a smaller organ that is located just below the liver, with ducts extending to the liver and small intestine. The stomach connects to the small intestine, a long, tubular organ coiled in the lower abdomen. The small intestine connects to the large intestine, which rises along the right side of the abdomen (the ascending colon), runs horizontally across the abdomen above the small intestine and below the liver (the transverse colon), runs down the left side of the abdomen (the descending colon), and curves back below the small intestine before curving down to end at the anus, through which wastes exit the body. Note that the colon (including the ascending, transverse, and descending colon) makes up most of the large intestine. The pancreas is visible between the large intestine and stomach.

2. Prefixes

The table below shows common prefixes that you will encounter as you learn about the digestive system. Most of these should be familiar. Remember that many other prefixes are also used, including prefixes that you have already learned.

3. Combining Forms

Many combining forms that you have already learned are relevant to learning about the digestive system. Some examples of familiar combining forms and a few new combining forms are in the table below. The table below focuses on combining forms that describe digestive system structures.

try it

Let’s try some examples.

Based on the word parts, what does cholecystectomy mean?

Cholecystectomy means the removal of the gallbladder.

Break apart the word cholecystitis. Remember that cystitis is bladder inflammation (you encountered the term previously). What do you think the word parts mean?

Chol/e refers to the gallbladder. The suffix –itis means inflammation. Cyst/o must mean bladder if cyst/o + -itis means bladder inflammation. So cholecystitis means inflammation of the gallbladder, which is a sac, like the bladder.

Remember that you previously learned the word gastroenterology. Consider a similar word, gastroenteritis.

Based on the word parts, what does gastroenteritis mean?

Gastroenteritis has the word parts gastr/o (stomach) + enter/o (intestines) + -itis (inflammation). Gastroenteritis is inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Here are more examples of combining forms that are useful to know as you learn about the digestive system.

try it

Let’s try some examples. Steatitis is a condition that is a particular problem in cats, although other animals can develop it.

Based on the word parts, what does steatitis mean?

Steatitis is inflammation of fat tissue. It is likely caused by diet and can be very painful, but it can be resolved with dietary changes, vitamin E injections, and pain relief as needed (Harari, 2025).

Xerophytes are a specific type of plant. The combining form phyt/o and the suffix –phyte both mean plant.

Based on the word parts, what is a xerophyte?

Xerophyte means “dry plant.” Xerophytes are plants that thrive in dry environments.

4. Suffixes

In addition to prefixes and combining forms, there are many suffixes that are useful in discussing the digestive system. The table below includes familiar suffixes and a few new suffixes that will be helpful.

try it

Let’s try an example. You previously learned the term laryngostomy.

Break apart the word laryngostomy and use it to explain what the term means.

Laryngostomy means the creation of a laryngeal opening. The word parts are laryng/o (larynx) and -ostomy (creation of an opening).

terms to know

The table below lists terms that are especially important or that may be difficult to pronounce. Audio is provided to help you learn how to say these terms.

REFERENCES

Anorectal Manometry. (2022, September 6). Cleveland Clinic. Anorectal Manometry: What It Is, Procedure Details & Results

Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer). (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Duodenojejunostomy. In Merriam-Webster.com medical dictionary. Retrieved July 3, 2025, from www.merriam-webster.com/medical/duodenojejunostomy

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH). (2025, May 5). Cleveland Clinic. What Is Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis?

Harari, J. (2025). Yellow fat disease in cats and other animals. Merck Veterinary Manual, Professional Edition. Yellow Fat Disease in Cats and Other Animals - Musculoskeletal System - Merck Veterinary Manual

Omphalocele. (2025, July 11). Cleveland Clinic. Omphalocele: What it is, Causes, Treatment & Outlook

Minisola, S., Colangelo, L., Pepe, J., Diacinti, D., Cipriani, C., & Rao, S. D. (2020). Osteomalacia and vitamin D status: A clinical update 2020. JBMR plus, 5(1), e10447. doi.org/10.1002/jbm4.10447

Rajaretnam N, Okoye E, Burns B. Laparotomy. [Updated 2023 May 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525961/