# Anatomy and Physiology of Animals/Glossary/C-D

A-B | C-D | E-F | G-H | I-J | K-L | M-N | O-P | Q,R,S | T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z
| Word | Meaning |
| C | |
| Callus | A thickening of the skin or growth of new bone tissue in and around a fracture |
| Canines | The long, cone-shaped teeth just behind the incisors |
| Carbohydrate | An organic compound containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Made up of sugar subunits |
| Cardiac cycle | A complete heartbeat consisting of systole and diastole |
| Cardiac muscle | The muscle that makes up the wall of the heart. Striated branched fibres |
| Cardiovascular system | The body system comprising the heart, blood vessels and blood |
| Carnassial teeth | The modified premolars and molars in carnivores that slice against each other like scissors for shearing flesh and bone. |
| Carotid artery | The artery from aorta that supplies the head and brain |
| Carpal | A bone of the “wrist” |
| Cartilage | Dense connective tissue found at ends of long bones, in trachea, ear pinna. Also forms the skeleton of the foetus |
| Cataract | A condition in which the lens becomes cloudy resulting in blurred vision. |
| Caudal | Nearer to the tail than |
| Caudal vena cava | The large vein that collects blood from the body caudal to the heart |
| Cell | The basic structural and functional unit of all organisms |
| Cell division | The process by which a cell reproduces itself. Two types: mitosis and meiosis |
| Cell inclusion | A substance produced by cell that is free in cytoplasm i.e. not enclosed by a membrane |
| Cellular respiration | The chemical pathway that produces energy in the cell It consumes a fuel, generally glucose, in the presence of oxygen |
| Central nervous system | The part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord |
| Cephalic | To do with the head |
| Cerebellum | The part of the vertebrate hindbrain located dorsally; functions in unconscious coordination of movement and balance |
| Cerebral cortex | The surface of the cerebrum; the largest and most complex part of the mammalian brain, containing sensory and motor nerve cell bodies of the cerebrum |
| Cerebrospinal fluid | The fluid that circulates around and within brain and spinal cord |
| Cerebrum | The dorsal portion of the brain composed of right and left hemispheres; the integrating center for memory, learning, emotions |
| Cervical vertebrae | The neck vertebrae |
| Cervix | The neck of the uterus |
| Chemoreceptor | A receptor that detects chemicals |
| Chorionic gonadotrophin | The hormone secreted by the placenta that prevents uterine contractions before labour and prepares the mammary glands for lactation |
| Choroid | The middle coat of the eyeball |
| Chromosome | One of the small dark staining bodies in the cell nucleus. Contains the DNA |
| Chyle | The milky fluid found in the lacteals of the small intestine |
| Chyme | The semi fluid mixture of partly digested food and digestive secretions in the stomach and small intestine |
| Cilium (pl. cilia) | A hair like process projecting from a cell. Used to move cell substances along the surface of the cell |
| Class | The taxonomic grouping of related, similar orders; category above order and below phylum |
| Clavicle | The collar bone |
| Clot | The process that changes liquid blood to a gelatinous mass |
| Coagulation | The process by which blood clots |
| Coccyx | The tail bones |
| Coccygeal vertebrae | The vertebrae of the tail |
| Cochlea | The coiled tube forming the portion of the inner ear that converts sound waves to nerve impulses |
| Collagen | A protein that is the main organic constituent of connective tissue |
| Colon | Part of the large intestine. |
| Colostrum | The first milk, it contains antibodies. |
| Common bile duct | The duct that carries both bile and pancreatic juice into the small intestine |
| Compact bone | Dense bone made up of Haversian systems |
| Conditioned Reflex | The response that is elicited by a stimulus after training has taken place |
| Condyle | A rounded protuberance at the ends of some bones where it forms an articulation with another bone |
| Cone | A light sensitive receptor in the retina that responds to colour |
| Congenital | Present at the time of birth |
| Conjunctiva | The delicate membrane covering the cornea of the eye |
| Connective tissue | One of the 4 basic tissue types of the body. Binds and supports. Consists of cells and fibres in a matrixs |
| Constipation | Decreased defecation due to decreased mobility of the intestines |
| Continuous breeding | When breeding continues throughout the year |
| Cornea | The transparent anterior layer of the eye through which the iris can be seen |
| Coronary artery | The artery that supplies the heart muscle |
| Corpus luteum | A yellow endocrine gland formed in the empty ovarian follicle after ovulation |
| Cortex | The outer layer of an organ |
| Costal | To do with a rib |
| Cowper’s gland | One of the accessory glands of the male reproductive system |
| Cranial | Towards the head |
| Cranial nerve | One of the 12 nerves that leave the brain |
| Cranium | The brain case that surrounds and protects the brain |
| Crop | The bag-like structure at the base of the oesophagus in birds.In many birds it stores food before it enters the stomachA |
| Crop-milk | Secretion produced by glands in the wall of the crop of in pigeons and doves Parents regurgitate it to feed their young |
| Cross section | Crosswise slice of an animal or organ |
| Cryptorchidism | Undescended testes |
| Cutaneous | To do with the skin |
| Cytology | The study of cells |
| Cytosol | The semi fluid portion of the cytoplasm |
| D | |
| Dehydration | Excessive loss of water from the body or its parts |
| Denaturation | Disruption of the structure of a protein by heat, acids etc. to make it inactive |
| Dendrite | A nerve cell process that carries the nerve impulses towards the cell body |
| Dental formula | The formula that describes the numbers of the different kinds of teeth |
| Dentine | The tissue below the enamel in teeth |
| Dermis | The layer of dense connective tissue lying under the epidermis |
| Diabetes insipidus | The condition caused by under secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Symptom: excretion large amounts dilute urine |
| Diabetes mellitus | The condition caused by under secretion of insulin. Symptoms: raised blood glucose levels, glucose in urine |
| Diaphragm | The dome shaped skeletal muscle separating the thoracic from the abdominal cavities |
| Diaphysis | The shaft of a long bone |
| Diarrhoea | Frequent defecation of liquid faeces |
| Diastema | The space in the jaw in animals that have no (or reduced) canines |
| Diastole | The phase of the heartbeat involving the relaxation of the ventricles |
| Diastolic blood pressure | Blood pressure in the arteries between the passage of the pulses |
| Diffusion | A passive process of movement of molecules from a region of high concentration to one of low concentration |
| Digestion | The mechanical and physical breakdown of food |
| Digitigrade locomotion | Locomotion on the “fingers” as in cats and dogs |
| Dilate | To expand or swell |
| Diploid | Having a double set of chromosomes one maternal, one paternal |
| Directional terms | Terms that describe the locations of structures in relation to other structures or locations in the body |
| Disaccharides | Double sugar, consisting of two joined monosaccharides |
| Distal | Farther away from the trunk of the body or point of origin |
| Diuretic | A chemical that reduces Antidiuretic hormone production and increases urine volume |
| Dorsal | Nearer the back of the animal than |
| Duodenum | First part of the small intestine |