BharatNotes Peristalsis
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
Just as peristalsis advances nourishment through the body by an unhurried succession of coordinated contractions, an effective welfare-delivery architecture must move entitlements through tiers of government in a steady, self-correcting rhythm, so that the benefit never stalls between sanction and the citizen's hand.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
peristaltic (adj), peristaltically (adv), peristalses (pl n)
Root
Greek peri- = around; stellein = to place, set in order → peristaltikos = contracting around
Etymology
From Greek peristaltikos ("contracting around"), from peri- ("around") + stellein ("to place, set in order"); first used in a medical context by the physician Galen in the 2nd century AD.
Memory Hook
Break it as PERI ('around', as in perimeter) + STAL (think 'install/instil' — to set in place): muscles squeeze AROUND the tube and push the contents along, wave by wave — like squeezing a tube of toothpaste from end to end.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The wave of coordinated muscular contraction and relaxation that moves material along a tube, most familiarly food through the digestive tract. The point that makes it more than a definition is that it is involuntary and independent of gravity, which is why swallowing works when lying down and why digestion continues in weightlessness. The same mechanism moves urine along the ureters.
Don’t Confuse It With
Peristalsis is a progressive wave that propels contents forward. Segmentation is the mixing contraction of the intestine that does not propel. Sphincters are ring muscles that control passage between regions. Reverse peristalsis moves contents backward, as in vomiting.
Hindi Meaning
क्रमाकुंचन (kramākunchan).
Common Questions
- What is peristalsis?
- The wave of coordinated muscular contraction and relaxation that moves material along a tube such as the digestive tract.
- Does peristalsis depend on gravity?
- No. It is an involuntary muscular wave, which is why swallowing works while lying down and digestion continues in weightlessness.
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