adjective
alimentary
al-uh-MEN-tuh-ree/ˌælʌmˈɛntɝi/
Relating to nourishment or the digestive system.
The diagram traces food's movement through the alimentary canal.
Etymology
The pieces mean “pertaining to nourishment.” The digestive sense keeps that food-centered meaning: it describes the bodily system through which food supplies nourishment.
In context
peristalsis is a wave of contraction and relaxation of the smooth muscle in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract or alimentary canal so peristalsis propels a bolus through the esophagus
More examples
- The lesson describes the organs of the alimentary system.
- The researcher studies alimentary processes in several animals.
- The manual distinguishes alimentary functions from respiratory ones.
Similar words
- digestive
- The more usual term for breaking down and absorbing food.
- nutritional
- Concerns nourishment without necessarily naming the digestive organs.