gastrointestinalis

Gastrointestinalis is a Latin-derived term used primarily as an adjectival descriptor in scientific nomenclature to denote something pertaining to the gastrointestinal tract, the organ system that includes the stomach and intestines. It is not a standalone taxon but may appear as an epithet in binomial names or Latin descriptions to indicate a relation to the GI tract.

Etymology: The form combines gastro-, from Greek gastēr, "stomach," with intestinalis, from Latin intestinum, "intestine," with the suffix -alis meaning "pertaining to."

Taxonomic usage: In taxonomy, the epithet gastrointestinalis may be appended to a genus name to signal that the species or strain is associated with the GI tract or to reflect habitat, origin, or function related to digestion. It does not establish a higher taxonomic category and may vary with the gender of the genus.

Medical and research contexts: In clinical writing, the everyday term is gastrointestinal or GI tract. The Latinized form gastrointestinalis appears mainly in formal Latin descriptions, older taxonomic literature, or compound scientific names rather than in ordinary medical practice.

Related concepts include the gastrointestinal tract and gastroenterology, as well as terms such as enteric and intestinal.