Alimentary

Alimentary is an adjective relating to nourishment or to the alimentary canal, a part of the digestive system. In anatomy, the term most often refers to the alimentary canal or alimentary tract, a continuous tube through which food passes from the mouth to the anus.

The canal comprises the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. Accessory organs such as the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder contribute bile and digestive enzymes into the lumen but are not part of the canal proper. The wall consists of layers including mucosa, submucosa, muscularis externa, and serosa or adventitia; the esophagus uses coordinated peristaltic waves to move contents toward the stomach.

Digestion within the alimentary tract combines mechanical processing and chemical digestion. Nutrients are absorbed primarily in the small intestine, with water and electrolytes resorbed in other segments; waste is formed into feces in the large intestine and excreted via the anus.

Alimentary tract disorders include dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and colorectal cancer. In English, alimentary is most often used in technical contexts, while the general concept relates to nutrition and nourishment. The term derives from Latin alimentarius, related to alere, to nourish.