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Glossary

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

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