Anatomy and Physiology of Animals/Glossary/C-D

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Word	Meaning
C
Callus	A thickening of the skin or growth of new bone tissue in and around a fracture
Canines	The long, cone-shaped teeth just behind the incisors
Carbohydrate	An organic compound containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Made up of sugar subunits
Cardiac cycle	A complete heartbeat consisting of systole and diastole
Cardiac muscle	The muscle that makes up the wall of the heart. Striated branched fibres
Cardiovascular system	The body system comprising the heart, blood vessels and blood
Carnassial teeth	The modified premolars and molars in carnivores that slice against each other like scissors for shearing flesh and bone.
Carotid artery	The artery from aorta that supplies the head and brain
Carpal	A bone of the “wrist”
Cartilage	Dense connective tissue found at ends of long bones, in trachea, ear pinna. Also forms the skeleton of the foetus
Cataract	A condition in which the lens becomes cloudy resulting in blurred vision.
Caudal	Nearer to the tail than
Caudal vena cava	The large vein that collects blood from the body caudal to the heart
Cell	The basic structural and functional unit of all organisms
Cell division	The process by which a cell reproduces itself. Two types: mitosis and meiosis
Cell inclusion	A substance produced by cell that is free in cytoplasm i.e. not enclosed by a membrane
Cellular respiration	The chemical pathway that produces energy in the cell It consumes a fuel, generally glucose, in the presence of oxygen
Central nervous system	The part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord
Cephalic	To do with the head
Cerebellum	The part of the vertebrate hindbrain located dorsally; functions in unconscious coordination of movement and balance
Cerebral cortex	The surface of the cerebrum; the largest and most complex part of the mammalian brain, containing sensory and motor nerve cell bodies of the cerebrum
Cerebrospinal fluid	The fluid that circulates around and within brain and spinal cord
Cerebrum	The dorsal portion of the brain composed of right and left hemispheres; the integrating center for memory, learning, emotions
Cervical vertebrae	The neck vertebrae
Cervix	The neck of the uterus
Chemoreceptor	A receptor that detects chemicals
Chorionic gonadotrophin	The hormone secreted by the placenta that prevents uterine contractions before labour and prepares the mammary glands for lactation
Choroid	The middle coat of the eyeball
Chromosome	One of the small dark staining bodies in the cell nucleus. Contains the DNA
Chyle	The milky fluid found in the lacteals of the small intestine
Chyme	The semi fluid mixture of partly digested food and digestive secretions in the stomach and small intestine
Cilium (pl. cilia)	A hair like process projecting from a cell. Used to move cell substances along the surface of the cell
Class	The taxonomic grouping of related, similar orders; category above order and below phylum
Clavicle	The collar bone
Clot	The process that changes liquid blood to a gelatinous mass
Coagulation	The process by which blood clots
Coccyx	The tail bones
Coccygeal vertebrae	The vertebrae of the tail
Cochlea	The coiled tube forming the portion of the inner ear that converts sound waves to nerve impulses
Collagen	A protein that is the main organic constituent of connective tissue
Colon	Part of the large intestine.
Colostrum	The first milk, it contains antibodies.
Common bile duct	The duct that carries both bile and pancreatic juice into the small intestine
Compact bone	Dense bone made up of Haversian systems
Conditioned Reflex	The response that is elicited by a stimulus after training has taken place
Condyle	A rounded protuberance at the ends of some bones where it forms an articulation with another bone
Cone	A light sensitive receptor in the retina that responds to colour
Congenital	Present at the time of birth
Conjunctiva	The delicate membrane covering the cornea of the eye
Connective tissue	One of the 4 basic tissue types of the body. Binds and supports. Consists of cells and fibres in a matrixs
Constipation	Decreased defecation due to decreased mobility of the intestines
Continuous breeding	When breeding continues throughout the year
Cornea	The transparent anterior layer of the eye through which the iris can be seen
Coronary artery	The artery that supplies the heart muscle
Corpus luteum	A yellow endocrine gland formed in the empty ovarian follicle after ovulation
Cortex	The outer layer of an organ
Costal	To do with a rib
Cowper’s gland	One of the accessory glands of the male reproductive system
Cranial	Towards the head
Cranial nerve	One of the 12 nerves that leave the brain
Cranium	The brain case that surrounds and protects the brain
Crop	The bag-like structure at the base of the oesophagus in birds.In many birds it stores food before it enters the stomachA
Crop-milk	Secretion produced by glands in the wall of the crop of in pigeons and doves Parents regurgitate it to feed their young
Cross section	Crosswise slice of an animal or organ
Cryptorchidism	Undescended testes
Cutaneous	To do with the skin
Cytology	The study of cells
Cytosol	The semi fluid portion of the cytoplasm
D
Dehydration	Excessive loss of water from the body or its parts
Denaturation	Disruption of the structure of a protein by heat, acids etc. to make it inactive
Dendrite	A nerve cell process that carries the nerve impulses towards the cell body
Dental formula	The formula that describes the numbers of the different kinds of teeth
Dentine	The tissue below the enamel in teeth
Dermis	The layer of dense connective tissue lying under the epidermis
Diabetes insipidus	The condition caused by under secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Symptom: excretion large amounts dilute urine
Diabetes mellitus	The condition caused by under secretion of insulin. Symptoms: raised blood glucose levels, glucose in urine
Diaphragm	The dome shaped skeletal muscle separating the thoracic from the abdominal cavities
Diaphysis	The shaft of a long bone
Diarrhoea	Frequent defecation of liquid faeces
Diastema	The space in the jaw in animals that have no (or reduced) canines
Diastole	The phase of the heartbeat involving the relaxation of the ventricles
Diastolic blood pressure	Blood pressure in the arteries between the passage of the pulses
Diffusion	A passive process of movement of molecules from a region of high concentration to one of low concentration
Digestion	The mechanical and physical breakdown of food
Digitigrade locomotion	Locomotion on the “fingers” as in cats and dogs
Dilate	To expand or swell
Diploid	Having a double set of chromosomes one maternal, one paternal
Directional terms	Terms that describe the locations of structures in relation to other structures or locations in the body
Disaccharides	Double sugar, consisting of two joined monosaccharides
Distal	Farther away from the trunk of the body or point of origin
Diuretic	A chemical that reduces Antidiuretic hormone production and increases urine volume
Dorsal	Nearer the back of the animal than
Duodenum	First part of the small intestine