Stomach Stomach The stomach (from ancient Greek στόμαχος, "stomachos," "stoma" means mouth) is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital digestive organ. In the digestive system the stomach is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication (chewing). In humans and many other animals, the stomach is located between the oesophagus and the small intestine. It secretes digestive enzymes and gastric acid to aid in food digestion. The pyloric sphincter controls the passage of partially digested food (chyme) from
Stomach rumble of but not actually within the stomach). The lack of bowel sounds is indicative of ileus, intestinal obstruction, or some other serious pathology. The scientific name borborygmus is related to the 16th-century French word "borborygme", itself from Latin, ultimately from Ancient Greek βορβορυγμός ("borborygmós"). The Greeks probably onomatopoetically coined the word. Other causes of stomach rumbles: The word borborygmic has been used in literature to describe noisy plumbing. In "", Vladimir Nabokov wrote: "All the toilets and waterpipes in the house had been suddenly seized with borborygmic convulsions". In "A Long Way Down" (New York: Harper, 1959, p. 54), Elizabeth