Dictionary

Body systems

Anatomy and the conditions of each body system, from the heart and lungs to the skin.

first trimesterThe first part of pregnancy, from the first day of the last menstrual period through the end of week 13.

fissureA narrow crack or split in the skin, a lining or an organ.

fistulaAn abnormal passage between two organs or vessels, or between an organ and the skin.

flatulenceGas in the stomach or intestines, or passing that gas through the anus.

flatusGas passed from the intestines through the anus.

flexionBending a joint so that the angle between the two body parts gets smaller.

fluidA liquid; in the body, the water and what is dissolved in it, inside and outside the cells.

fluid balanceThe match between the fluid that goes into the body and the fluid that leaves it.

fluid overloadToo much fluid in the body, in the blood vessels and the tissues.

fluid resuscitationGiving large amounts of IV fluid quickly to restore blood volume and blood flow to the organs.

fluid retentionExtra fluid that the body holds in its tissues instead of removing it.

fluid volumeThe amount of fluid in the body, or in one of its spaces such as the blood vessels.

folateA B vitamin (vitamin B9) the body needs to make DNA and new cells, including red blood cells.

follicleA small sac or cavity in the body, such as the pocket a hair grows from or the sac in the ovary that holds an egg.

folliculitisInflammation or infection of hair follicles, the small pockets in the skin that hairs grow from.

fontanelA soft spot on a baby's head where the skull bones have not yet joined.

foramen ovaleAn opening between the right and left upper chambers of the fetal heart that lets blood bypass the lungs before birth.

forearmThe part of the arm between the elbow and the wrist.

fossaA shallow hollow or dip in a bone or on the body's surface.

fractureA break or crack in a bone.

frictionThe rubbing of one surface against another, such as skin against bed sheets.

friction rubA grating or scratching sound, heard with a stethoscope, made when two inflamed layers of tissue move against each other.

frontalRelating to the front of the body, or to the forehead and the bone or brain area behind it.

frontal lobeThe front part of the brain, behind the forehead, that handles planning, judgment, personality, speech and movement.

FSHFollicle-stimulating hormone: a pituitary hormone that helps control the ovaries and testes.

full-thicknessGoing through every layer of the skin, or every layer of another tissue such as the wall of an organ.

full-thickness burnA burn that destroys both layers of the skin, the epidermis and all of the dermis, and may reach the tissue below.

fundal heightThe distance in centimeters from the top of the pubic bone to the top of the uterus, measured during pregnancy.

fundusThe rounded top or base of a hollow organ, most often the top of the uterus.

fungal infectionAn infection caused by a fungus, such as a yeast or a mold.

GABAGamma-aminobutyric acid: the brain's main calming (inhibitory) neurotransmitter.

gaitThe way a person walks.

gallbladderA small pear-shaped sac under the liver that stores bile and releases it to help digest fat.

gallstoneA hard, pebble-like lump that forms in the gallbladder from substances in bile.

ganglionA cluster of nerve cell bodies outside the brain and spinal cord; plural ganglia.

gangreneThe death of body tissue because its blood supply has been lost or because of severe infection.

gas exchangeThe movement of oxygen from the air sacs of the lungs into the blood and of carbon dioxide from the blood into the air sacs.

gastricRelating to the stomach.

gastritisInflammation of the lining of the stomach.

gastroenteritisInflammation of the stomach and intestines.

gastroesophageal refluxThe backward flow of stomach contents up into the esophagus.

gastroesophageal reflux diseaseA long-term condition in which stomach contents, including acid, flow back up into the esophagus.

gastrointestinalHaving to do with the stomach and intestines, or with the whole digestive tract from the mouth to the anus.

gastrointestinal tractThe long tube that food passes through, from the mouth to the anus.

generalized anxiety disorderAn anxiety disorder in which a person feels excessive, hard-to-control worry about many everyday things for at least six months.

genitalRelating to the sex organs, especially the outer ones.

genital wartA small, soft growth on or around the genitals or anus caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

genitaliaThe reproductive organs, especially the external sex organs.

genitourinaryRelating to the genital (reproductive) organs and the urinary organs together.

gestationThe time a baby develops in the uterus, from conception to birth; pregnancy.