| A | B |
|---|
| digestion | The process by which the body breaks down food into smaller nutrient molecules |
| absorption | The process by which nutrient molecules pass through the wall of the digestive system into the blood |
| saliva | The fluid released in the mouth that plays an important role in both mechanical and chemical digestion |
| enzyme | A protein that speeds up chemical reactions in the body |
| epiglottis | A flap of tissue that seals off the windpipe and prevents food from entering |
| esophagus | A muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach |
| mucus | A thick slippery substance produced by the body |
| peristalsis | Involuntary waves of muscle contraction that keeps food moving along in one direction through the digestive system |
| stomach | A J-shaped muscular pouch located in the abdomen that expands to hold all of the food that is swallowed |
| small intestine | The part of the digestive system in which most chemical digestion takes place |
| liver | The largest organ and heaviest organ inside the body, it breaks down substances and eliminates nitrogen from the body |
| bile | A substance produced by the liver that breaks up fat molecules |
| gallbladder | The organ that stores bile after it is produced by the liver |
| pancreas | A triangular organ that produces enzymes that flow into the small intestine |
| villi | Tiny finger like structures that cover the inner surface of the small intestine and provides a large surface area through which digested food is absorbed |
| large intestine | The last section of the digestive system, where water is absorbed from food and the remaining material is eliminated from the body |
| rectum | A short tube at the end of the large intestine where waste material is compressed into a solid form before being eliminated |
| anus | A muscular opening at the end of the rectum through which digestive waste material is eliminated from the body. |
| mechanical digestion | Physically breaking food down in to smaller pieces |
| chemical digestion | Chemically breaking food down into their smaller chemical building blocks |
