Duodenum

duodenum

duodenum The first and shortest segment of the small intestine. For up to 3 or 4 hours after a meal it receives spurts of partly digested food (chyme) from the stomach. Juices pour into it at this appropriate time from the pancreas and from the gall bladder, both close by, stimulated to do so by hormones secreted from the duodenum itself in response to the chyme's arrival. Because the juices are alkaline, stomach acid is normally neutralized here, but excessive acidity has been linked to the duodenum's propensity to develop ulcers.

Stuart Judge


See alimentary system.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "duodenum." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "duodenum." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-duodenum.html

COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "duodenum." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

duodenum

duodenum The first section of the small intestine of vertebrates. It is the site where food from the stomach is subjected to the action of bile (from the bile duct) and pancreatic enzymes (from the pancreatic duct) as well as the enzymes secreted by digestive glands in the duodenum itself (see succus entericus), which are required in the breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. By neutralizing the acidic secretions of the stomach, the duodenum provides an alkaline environment necessary for the action of the intestinal enzymes.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"duodenum." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"duodenum." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-duodenum.html

"duodenum." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

duodenum

du·o·de·num / ˌd(y)oōəˈdēnəm; d(y)oōˈädn-əm/ • n. (pl. -nums or -na / -nə/ ) Anat. the first part of the small intestine immediately beyond the stomach, leading to the jejunum. DERIVATIVES: du·o·de·nal / -ˈdēnl; -ˈädnəl/ adj.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"duodenum." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"duodenum." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-duodenum.html

"duodenum." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

duodenum

duodenum First part of the small intestine, between the stomach and the jejunum; the major site of digestion. Pancreatic juice and bile are secreted into the duodenum. So called because it is about twelve fingerbreadths in length. See also gastro‐intestinal tract.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

DAVID A. BENDER. "duodenum." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAVID A. BENDER. "duodenum." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-duodenum.html

DAVID A. BENDER. "duodenum." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

duodenum

duodenum (dew-ŏ-deen-ŭm) n. the first of the three parts of the small intestine. It extends from the pylorus of the stomach to the jejunum. The duodenum receives bile from the gall bladder and pancreatic juice from the pancreas.
duodenal adj.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"duodenum." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"duodenum." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-duodenum.html

"duodenum." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

duodenum

duodenum First section of the small intestine, shaped like a horseshoe. The pyloric sphincter, a circular muscle, separates it from the stomach. Alkaline bile and pancreatic juices are released into the duodenum to aid the digestion of food.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"duodenum." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"duodenum." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-duodenum.html

"duodenum." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

duodenum

duodenum XIV. — medL. (short for intestinum duodenum digitorum ‘of twelve digits’; so named from its length), f. duodēnī, distributive of duodecim twelve (see prec.).

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

T. F. HOAD. "duodenum." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "duodenum." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-duodenum.html

T. F. HOAD. "duodenum." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

duodenum

duodenum In vertebrates, the section of the alimentary canal that lies immediately behind the stomach, forming the start of the intestine.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

MICHAEL ALLABY. "duodenum." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "duodenum." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-duodenum.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "duodenum." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

duodenum

duodenum see intestine ; pancreas .

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"duodenum." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"duodenum." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-duodenum.html

"duodenum." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

duodenum

duodenum •minimum • maximum • optimum •chrysanthemum, helianthemum •cardamom • Pergamum • sesamum •per annum • magnum • damnum •Arnhem, Barnum •envenom, venom •interregnum • Cheltenham • arcanum •duodenum, plenum •platinum • antirrhinum • Bonham •summum bonum • Puttnam •ladanum • molybdenum • laudanum •origanum, polygonum •organum • tympanum •laburnum, sternum •gingham • Gillingham • Birmingham •Cunningham • Walsingham •Nottingham • wampum • carom •Abram • panjandrum • tantrum •angstrom • alarum • candelabrum •plectrum, spectrum •arum, harem, harum-scarum, Sarum •sacrum, simulacrum •maelstrom • cerebrum • pyrethrum •Ingram •sistrum, Tristram •Hiram •grogram, pogrom •nostrum, rostrum •cockalorum, decorum, forum, jorum, Karakoram, Karakorum, Mizoram, pons asinorum, quorum •wolfram • fulcrum • Durham •conundrum • buckram • lustrum •serum, theorem •labarum • marjoram • pittosporum •Rotherham • Bertram

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"duodenum." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"duodenum." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-duodenum.html

"duodenum." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-duodenum.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

5-hydroxytryptamine induces electrogenic secretion in the duodenum of gerbil...
Magazine article from: American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology; 6/22/2007
Acetylcholine evokes an Ins[P.sub.3]R1-dependent transient [Ca.sup.2+] signal...
Magazine article from: Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology; 9/1/2008
Effects of strychnine on the antrum and duodenum in the gastrointestinal...
Magazine article from: The Ohio Journal of Science; 3/1/2003

Facts and information from other sites

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of Duodenum