Peristalsis

noun

/ˌpɛrɪˈstælsɪs/

The involuntary wavelike contraction and relaxation of muscles in the walls of hollow organs such as the oesophagus and intestines, which propels food and other contents forward through the digestive tract.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Just as peristalsis advances nourishment through the body by an unhurried succession of coordinated contractions, an effective welfare-delivery architecture must move entitlements through tiers of government in a steady, self-correcting rhythm, so that the benefit never stalls between sanction and the citizen's hand.

Synonyms

muscular contractionrhythmic propulsionvermiculationperistaltic movementundulation

Antonyms

stasisstagnationantiperistalsisobstruction

🌱 Word Family

peristaltic (adj), peristaltically (adv), peristalses (pl n)

🔡 Root

Greek peri- = around; stellein = to place, set in order → peristaltikos = contracting around

📜 Etymology

From Greek peristaltikos ("contracting around"), from peri- ("around") + stellein ("to place, set in order"); first used in a medical context by the physician Galen in the 2nd century AD.

🧠 Memory Hook

Break it as PERI ('around', as in perimeter) + STAL (think 'install/instil' — to set in place): muscles squeeze AROUND the tube and push the contents along, wave by wave — like squeezing a tube of toothpaste from end to end.

⚗️ General Science 📖 Seen in: Human Body Systems — Organ Systems, Ph...

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