Gastrointestinally

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Relating to the digestive system, specifically involving the stomach and intestines
2. describing processes or conditions that affect digestion throughout the gastrointestinal tract
3. pertaining to health, disorders, or functions within the digestive pathway from ingestion to excretion

Etymology: "Gastrointestinally" is a plain English formation: the adjective "gastrointestinal" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" added to the end. The adjective itself is a modern scientific compound built from two Greek-derived parts. "Gastro-" comes from Greek "gastēr," meaning "stomach," and "intestinal" comes from Latin "intestinum," meaning "intestine," which is itself tied to "intestinus," "internal." Joined together, the adjective names the whole digestive tract as one continuous system, running from the mouth down to the exit. The suffix does the grammatical work. "-ly" turns an adjective into an adverb, so the word describes how something happens or where it applies: a drug might be absorbed gastrointestinally, or an infection might spread gastrointestinally. Because the root "gastrointestinal" is a technical coinage, the adverb is too, and it belongs mainly to medicine, pharmacology, and biology.