Chyme

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kaɪm/

Definitions

1. The thick, semi-liquid mixture resulting from the partial digestion of food in the stomach plays a critical role in the subsequent digestive process
2. This viscous substance created during digestion facilitates nutrient absorption as it transitions to the small intestine
3. A semi-fluid mass formed when food is broken down by stomach acids before moving to the intestines

Etymology: Ancient Greek "khumós" meant "juice," and it comes from the verb "kheein," "to pour." That is the whole of the original idea: a liquid being poured out or running. Late Latin borrowed the Greek word as "chymus," and it passed into English with the same sense of a fluid. Medical writers then narrowed it to the semi-liquid mass that forms in the stomach as food is broken down. The English noun "chyme" is therefore a learned borrowing rather than a native word, and it sits in a family with "chyle," the milky fluid that carries digested fat from the intestines. The two words were once easy to confuse, and they share the same Greek ancestor, which is why they look and sound so alike.

Synonyms: digestive fluid, gastric juice