non-peristaltic
|non-per-is-tal-tic|
🇺🇸
/nɑnˌpɛrɪˈstæltɪk/
🇬🇧
/nɒnˌpɛrɪˈstɔːltɪk/
lacking wave-like (peristaltic) contractions
Etymology
'non-peristaltic' originates from a combination of the negative prefix 'non-' and the adjective 'peristaltic'. 'non-' ultimately comes from Latin 'non' (via Old English forms such as 'nōn'), meaning 'not'; 'peristaltic' comes from Greek, specifically the word 'peristaltikos', where the prefix 'peri-' meant 'around' and the root (from Greek 'stallein' or related forms) meant 'to contract or compress'.
'peristaltic' changed from Greek 'peristaltikos' into Late/Medieval Latin forms and then into Modern English as 'peristaltic'. The productive English negative prefix 'non-' was attached in modern usage to form the compound adjective 'non-peristaltic'.
Initially, the root described wave-like, around-contracting motions ('peristaltic' = wave-like contractions); over time 'peristaltic' has retained that meaning in physiology, and 'non-peristaltic' developed to denote the absence of those wave-like contractions.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not involving or produced by peristalsis; lacking the wave-like muscular contractions that normally move contents through tubular organs (for example, parts of the intestines or the esophagus).
The surgeon observed a segment of non-peristaltic intestine during the operation.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/02 21:02