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large intestine

 
Dictionary: large intestine

n.
The portion of the intestine that extends from the ileum to the anus, forming an arch around the convolutions of the small intestine and including the cecum, colon, rectum, and anal canal.


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: large intestine
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End section of the intestine. It is about 5 ft (1.5 m) long, is wider than the small intestine, and has a smooth inner wall. In the first half, enzymes from the small intestine complete digestion, and bacteria produce many B vitamins and vitamin K. Over 24 – 30 hours, churning movements break down tough cellulose fibres and expose chyme to the colon's walls, which absorb water and electrolytes; absorption is its main function, along with storing fecal matter for expulsion. The more vigorous "mass movement" (gastrocolic reflex) occurs only two or three times a day to propel waste material toward the anal canal. Common afflictions include ulcerative colitis, diverticulosis (see diverticulum), polyps, and tumours.

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World of the Body: large intestine
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The part of the gut between the small intestine and the anus: caecum, colon and rectum. ‘Large’ because it is a wider tube, although much shorter, than the ‘small’ intestine. From the caecum, low on the right side (from which the appendix arises), the ascending, then the transverse, then the descending parts of the colon lead to the rectum, low on the left side. Water is progressively absorbed as the contents are moved onwards for storage in the rectum.

— Stuart Judge

See alimentary system.

Dental Dictionary: large intestine
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n

The portion of the digestive tract comprising the cecum; the appendix; the ascending, transverse, and descending colons; and the rectum. The ileocecal valve separates the cecum from the ileum.

Sports Science and Medicine: large intestine
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Part of the alimentary canal consisting of the colon, caecum, appendix, and rectum.

Health Dictionary: large intestine
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The lower portion of the intestines, which receives a soupy mixture of digested food from the small intestine, reabsorbs most of the fluids, and then passes the resulting solid substance (feces) out of the body through the anus. The large intestine is divided into the cecum, colon, and rectum.

Wikipedia: Large intestine (Chinese medicine)
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As distinct from the Western medical concept of Large Intestine, this concept from Traditional Chinese Medicine is more a way of describing a set of interrelated parts than an anatomical organ. (See Zang Fu theory)



 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
World of the Body. The Oxford Companion to the Body. Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.  Read more
Health Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Large intestine (Chinese medicine)" Read more