peristalsis
/ˌpɛɹɪˈstælsɪs/noun
peristalsis is spelled P-E-R-I-S-T-A-L-S-I-S: 11 letters. It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 109,062nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, peristalsis means “The coordinated, rhythmic, wavelike contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle that propels contents through a hollow organ, particularly food…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of peristalsis is peristalses.
How many letters and syllables are in peristalsis?
| Letters | 11: P-E-R-I-S-T-A-L-S-I-S |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 109,062nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is peristalsis?
Peristalsis appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 109,062nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce peristalsis?
- UK /ˌpɛɹɪˈstalsɪs/
- US /ˌpɛɹɪˈstælsɪs/
- US /ˌpɛɹɪˈstɑlsɪs/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-peristalsis.ogg, En-us-peristalsis-2.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of peristalsis
- peristalses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does peristalsis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The coordinated, rhythmic, wavelike contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle that propels contents through a hollow organ, particularly food through the gastrointestinal tract.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Peristalsis in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense rhythmic contraction of the digestive tract:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | péristaltisme |
| German | Peristaltik |
| Portuguese | peristaltismo, peristalse |
| Spanish | peristalsis |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does peristalsis come from?
From Ancient Greek δύναμις περισταλτική (dúnamis peristaltikḗ, “the action of the bowels by which their contents are propelled”), from περιστέλλω (peristéllō, “to wrap around”), from περι- (peri-, “around”) + στέλλω (stéllō, “to make ready, to prepare”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).