| peristalsis | <gastroenterology, physiology> The wormlike movement by which the alimentary canal or other tubular organs provided with both longitudinal and circular muscle fibres propel their contents. It consists of a wave of contraction passing along the tube for variable distances. Origin: Gr. Stalsis = contraction (18 Nov 1997) |
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| mass peristalsis | Forcible peristaltic movements of short duration, occurring only three or four times a day, which move the contents of the large intestine from one division to the next, as from the ascending to the transverse colon. Synonym: mass movement. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| reversed peristalsis | A wave of intestinal contraction in a direction the reverse of normal, by which the contents of the intestine are forced backward. Synonym: antiperistalsis. (05 Mar 2000) |