alimentary canal

American  

noun

1. Anatomy, Zoology. a tubular passage functioning in the digestion and absorption of food and the elimination of food residue, beginning at the mouth and terminating at the anus.

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alimentary canal British  

noun

1. the tubular passage extending from the mouth to the anus, through which food is passed and digested

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alimentary canal Scientific  

/ ăl′ə-mĕn′tə-rē /

1. The tube or passage of the digestive system through which food passes, nutrients are absorbed, and waste is eliminated.

2. See also digestive tract

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Etymology

Origin of alimentary canal

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

Let’s not overlook how long it takes for a federal lawsuit to make its way through the judicial alimentary canal.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025

Earthworms are an example of an animal with an alimentary canal.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The digestive system is made up by the alimentary canal, or the digestive tract, and other abdominal organs that play a part in digestion such as the liver and the pancreas.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

This largely explains why the liver is the most common site for the metastasis of cancers that originate in the alimentary canal.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Among the convulsive affections must be reckoned convulsive movements and tonic spasms of various portions of the alimentary canal.

From Neuralgia and the Diseases that Resemble it by Anstie, Francis E.