gastrovascular

[gas-troh-vas-kyuh-ler]

adjective

Zoology.

1. serving for digestion and circulation, as a cavity.

gastrovascular

/ ˌɡæstrəʊˈvæskjʊlə /

adjective

1. (esp of the body cavities of coelenterates) functioning in digestion and circulation

Word History and Origins

Origin of gastrovascular¹

First recorded in 1875–80; gastro- + vascular

Example Sentences

Meals disappear into the gastrovascular cavity, which is also where the equivalent of digestive cells empty their waste.

Read more on Scientific American

The jelly bumped into the glass at one point, which allowed the researchers to get a close-up of the gastrovascular, or digestive, canals that cover its body.

Read more on National Geographic

Two polyps connect their gastrovascular openings at night, a behavior that has never been documented before.

Read more on Time