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Definition

noun

The digestive tract where food (bolus) passes through so that the nutriment is digested and absorbed into the blood whereas the indigestible or nonessential portion is eliminated as waste

Supplement

The physiological roles of the alimentary canal include:

• ingestion and/or mastication, through themouth or the buccal cavity
• digestion, mainly by stomach and small intestine
• absorption of food, mainly by small intestine
• absorption of water and electrolytes by large intestine
• egestion, by rectum and anus

Synonym(s):

• alimentary canal
• digestive tract
• digestive tube

See also:

• alimentary apparatus
• gut

Related term(s):

• Alimentary tract smear