This glossary is culled from MedlinePlus
Absorption
Pronunciation: \əb-ˈsȯrp-shən, -ˈzȯrp-\
Function: noun
1 : the process of absorbing or of being absorbed <absorption of nourishment in the small intestine>—compare adsorption
2 : interception of radiant energy or sound waves
Adipose tissue
Function: noun
: connective tissue in which fat is stored and which has the cells distended by droplets of fat
Antibiotic
Pronunciation: -bī-ˈät-ik; -bē-\
Function: adjective
1 : tending to prevent, inhibit, or destroy life
2 : of or relating to antibiotics or to antibiosis
Astrocyte
Pronunciation: \ˈas-trə-ˌsīt\
Function: noun
: a star-shaped cell ; especially : any comparatively large much-branched glial cell
Beta blocker
Pronunciation: -ˈbläk-ər\
Function: noun
: any of a group of drugs (as propranolol) that combine with and
block the activity of a beta-receptor to decrease the heart rate and
force of contractions and lower high blood pressure and that are used
especially to treat hypertension, angina pectoris, and ventricular and
supraventricular arrhythmias
Bioavailability
Pronunciation: -ə-ˌvā-lə-ˈbil-ət-ē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural bio•avail•abil•i•ties
: the degree and rate at which a substance (as a drug) is absorbed
into a living system or is made available at the site of physiological
activity
Buccal mucosa
Pronunciation: \ˈbək-əl\
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, near, involving, or supplying a cheek <the buccal surface of a tooth> <the buccal branch of the facial nerve>
2 : of, relating to, involving, or lying in the mouth <the buccal cavity>
Pronunciation: \myü-ˈkō-zə\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural mu•co•sae -(ˌ)zē, -ˌzī\ or mu•co•sas
mucous membrane
Capillary
Pronunciation: \ˈkap-ə-ˌler-ē, British usually kə-ˈpil-ə-rē\
Function: adjective
1 a : resembling a hair especially in slender elongated form b : having a very small bore <a capillary tube>
2 : involving, held by, or resulting from surface tension
3 : of or relating to capillaries or capillarity
Drug
Pronunciation: \ˈdrəg\
Function: noun
1 a : a substance used as a medication or in the preparation of medication b according to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
(1) : a substance recognized in an official pharmacopoeia or formulary
(2) : a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation,
treatment, or prevention of disease (3) : a substance other than food
intended to affect the structure or function of the body (4) : a
substance intended for use as a component of a medicine but not a device
or a component, part, or accessory of a device
2 : something and often an illicit substance that causes addiction, habituation, or a marked change in consciousness
Distribution
Pronunciation: \ˌdis-trə-ˈbyü-shən\
Function: noun
: the pattern of branching and termination of a ramifying anatomical structure (as a nerve or artery)
Duodenum
Pronunciation: \ˌd(y)ü-ə-ˈdē-nəm, d(y)u̇-ˈäd-ən-əm\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural du•o•de•na -ˈdē-nə, -ən-ə\ or du•o•de•nums
: the first, shortest, and widest part of the small intestine that in
humans is about 10 inches (25 centimeters) long and that extends from
the pylorus to the undersurface of the liver where it descends for a
variable distance and receives the bile and pancreatic ducts and then
bends to the left and finally upward to join the jejunum near the second
lumbar vertebra
Endocytosis
Pronunciation: -sī-ˈtō-səs\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural en•do•cy•to•ses -ˌsēz\
: incorporation of substances into a cell by phagocytosis or pinocytosis
Endothelium
Pronunciation: \ˌen-də-ˈthē-lē-əm\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural en•do•the•lia -lē-ə\
: an epithelium of mesoblastic origin composed of a single layer of
thin flattened cells that lines internal body cavities (as the serous
cavities or the interior of the heart)
Enteral
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or affecting the intestines <enteric diseases> ;
Exocytosis
Pronunciation: \ˌek-sō-sī-ˈtō-səs\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural exo•cy•to•ses -ˌsēz\
: the release of cellular substances (as secretory products)
contained in cell vesicles by fusion of the vesicular membrane with the
plasma membrane and subsequent release of the contents to the exterior
of the cell
Extracellular
Pronunciation: \ˌek-strə-ˈsel-yə-lər\
Function: adjective
: situated or occurring outside a cell or the cells of the body <extracellular digestion> <extracellular enzymes>
—ex•tra•cel•lu•lar•ly adverb
Hydrophobicity
Pronunciation: -ˈfō-bik\
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or suffering from hydrophobia
2 : resistant to or avoiding wetting <a hydrophobic lens>
3 : of, relating to, or having a lack of affinity for water <hydrophobic colloids are relatively unstable>—compare lyophobic, oleophobic
Hypovolemic
Variant(s): or chiefly British hy•po•vo•lae•mia -väl-ˈē-mē-ə\
Function: noun
: decrease in the volume of the circulating blood
—hy•po•vo•le•mic or chiefly British hy•po•vo•lae•mic -ˈē-mik\ adjective
Ileum
Pronunciation: \ˈil-ē-əm\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural il•ea -ē-ə\
: the last division of the small intestine that constitutes the part
between the jejunum and large intestine and in humans forms the last
three fifths of the part of the small intestine beyond the end of the
duodenum and that is smaller and thinner-walled than the jejunum with
fewer circular folds but more numerous Peyer's patches
Inhalation
Pronunciation: \ˌin-(h)ə-ˈlā-shən, ˌin-əl-ˈā-\
Function: noun
1 : the act or an instance of inhaling ; specifically : the action of
drawing air into the lungs by means of a complex of essentially reflex
actions that involve changes in the diaphragm and in muscles of the
abdomen and thorax which cause enlargement of the chest cavity and lungs
resulting in production of relatively negative pressure within the
lungs so that air flows in until the pressure is restored to equality
with that of the atmosphere
2 : material (as medication) to be taken in by inhaling
Interstitial
Pronunciation: \ˌint-ər-ˈstish-əl\
Function: adjective
1 : situated within but not restricted to or characteristic of a particular organ or tissue—used especially of fibrous tissue
2 : affecting the interstitial tissues of an organ or part <interstitial hepatitis>
3 : occurring in the part of a fallopian tube in the wall of the uterus <interstitial pregnancy>
Intracellular
Pronunciation: -ˈsel-yə-lər\
Function: adjective
: existing, occurring, or functioning within a cell <intracellular enzymes> <intracellular localization of RNA synthesis> <intracellular parasites>
—in•tra•cel•lu•lar•ly adverb
Intramuscular
Pronunciation: -ˈməs-kyə-lər\
Function: adjective
: situated within, occurring within, or administered by entering a muscle <intramuscular fat> <an intramuscular injection>
—in•tra•mus•cu•lar•ly adverb
Intranasal
Pronunciation: -ˈnā-zəl\
Function: adjective
: lying within or administered by way of the nasal structures
—in•tra•na•sal•ly -ˈnāz(-ə)-lē\ adverb
Jejunum
Pronunciation: \ji-ˈjü-nəm\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural je•ju•na -nə\
: the section of the small intestine that comprises the first two
fifths beyond the duodenum and that is larger, thicker-walled, and more
vascular and has more circular folds and fewer Peyer's patches than the
ileum
[jejunum illustration]
Lipid
Pronunciation: \ˈlip-əd\
Variant(s): also lip•ide -ˌīd\
Function: noun
: any of various substances that are soluble in nonpolar organic
solvents (as chloroform and ether), that with proteins and carbohydrates
constitute the principal structural components of living cells, and
that include fats, waxes, phospholipids, cerebrosides, and related and
derived compounds
Lipophilicity
Pronunciation: \ˌlip-ə-ˈfil-ik, ˌlīp-\
Function: adjective
: having an affinity for lipids (as fats) <a lipophilic metabolite>—compare hydrophilic, lyophilic, oleophilic
—li•po•phi•lic•i•ty -fi-ˈlis-ət-ē\ noun,
plural li•po•phi•lic•i•ties
Lumen
Pronunciation: \ˈlü-mən\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural lu•mi•na -mə-nə\ or lumens
1 : the cavity of a tubular organ or part <the lumen of a blood vessel>
2 : the bore of a tube (as of a hollow needle or catheter)
3 : a unit of luminous flux equal to the light emitted in a steradian by a uniform point source of one candle intensity
Metabolites
Pronunciation: -ˌlīt\
Function: noun
1 : a product of metabolism: a : a metabolic waste usually more or
less toxic to the organism producing it : excretion b : a product of one
metabolic process that is essential to another such process in the same
organism c : a metabolic waste of one organism that is markedly toxic
to another : antibiotic
2 : a substance essential to the metabolism of a particular organism or to a particular metabolic process
Parenchyma
Pronunciation: \pə-ˈreŋ-kə-mə\
Function: noun
: the essential and distinctive tissue of an organ or an abnormal growth as distinguished from its supportive framework
Parenteral
par•en•ter•al
Pronunciation: \pə-ˈrent-ə-rəl\
Function: adjective
: situated or occurring outside the intestine <parenteral drug administration by intravenous, intramuscular, or subcutaneous injection> ; especially : introduced otherwise than by way of the intestines <enteric versus parenteral feeding>
Per rectum
Function: adverb
: by way of the rectum <a solution injected per rectum>
Permeation
Pronunciation: \ˌpər-mē-ˈā-shən\
Function: noun
1 : the quality or state of being permeated
2 : the action or process of permeating
PH
Pronunciation: (ˈ)pē-ˈāch\
Function: noun
: a measure of acidity and alkalinity of a solution that is a number
on a scale on which a value of 7 represents neutrality and lower numbers
indicate increasing acidity and higher numbers increasing alkalinity
and on which each unit of change represents a tenfold change in acidity
or alkalinity and that is the negative logarithm of the effective
hydrogen-ion concentration or hydrogen-ion activity in gram equivalents
per liter of the solution <instead of saying that the concentration
of hydrogen ion in pure water is 1.00 x 10−7, it is customary to say
that the pH of pure water is 7—Linus Pauling> ; also : the condition represented by such a number—compare pk
Pharmacodynamics
phar•ma•co•dy•nam•ics
Pronunciation: \ˌfär-mə-kō-dī-ˈnam-iks, -də-\
Function: noun plural but singular in construction
: a branch of pharmacology dealing with the reactions between drugs and living systems
Pharmacokinetics
phar•ma•co•ki•net•ics
Pronunciation: -kō-kə-ˈnet-iks, -kō-kī-\
Function: noun plural but singular in construction
1 : the study of the bodily absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs
2 : the characteristic interactions of a drug and the body in terms of its absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion
Plasma
Pronunciation: \ˈplaz-mə\
Function: noun
1 a : the fluid part especially of blood, lymph, or milk that is
distinguished from suspended material—see blood plasma b : the juice
that can be expressed from muscle
2 : protoplasm
3 : a mixture of starch and gel used as an ointment base
Subcutaneous
Pronunciation: \ˌsəb-kyu̇-ˈtā-nē-əs\
Function: adjective
: being, living, used, or made under the skin <subcutaneous parasites>
—sub•cu•ta•ne•ous•ly adverb
Systemic circulation
Function: noun
: the passage of arterial blood from the left atrium of the heart
through the left ventricle, the systemic arteries, and the capillaries
to the organs and tissues that receive much of its oxygen in exchange
for carbon dioxide and the return of the carbon-dioxide carrying blood
via the systemic veins to enter the right atrium of the heart and to
participate in the pulmonary circulation
Topical
Pronunciation: \ˈtäp-i-kəl\
Function: adjective
: designed for or involving application to or action on the surface of a part of the body
Toxicity
Pronunciation: \täk-ˈsis-ət-ē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural tox•ic•i•ties
: the quality, state, or relative degree of being toxic or poisonous
Transdermal
Pronunciation: \ˌtran(t)s-ˈdər-məl, ˌtranz-\
Function: adjective
: relating to, being, or supplying a medication in a form for absorption through the skin into the bloodstream
