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swallowing |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Idioms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.06 sec. |
swallowingor deglutitionAct that moves food from the mouth to the stomach. The tongue pushes liquid or chewed food mixed with saliva into the pharynx. Reflex takes over as the soft palate rises to close off the nasal cavity; the larynx rises and the epiglottis covers the trachea, interrupting breathing. Pressure in the mouth and pharynx pushes food toward the esophagus, whose upper sphincter opens to let food in and closes to prevent backflow. Breathing resumes as the larynx lowers. As peristalsis pushes food to the stomach, the lower esophageal sphincter opens and then closes to prevent reflux. Painful swallowing is usually caused by inflammation; other problems are caused by blockage or disorders affecting the motions of swallowing. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| A SNAKE swallowing a frog head-first was approached by a Naturalist with a stick. Bounderby stayed her, by holding a mouthful of chop in suspension before swallowing it, and putting out his left hand. Southcott had recently attained her five-and-twentieth blessed birthday, of whom a prophetic private in the Life Guards had heralded the sublime appearance by announcing that arrangements were made for the swallowing up of London and Westminster. |
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