motilin

9.9

A body chemical made in the gut that makes stomach and small intestine muscles tighten

noun
/moʊˈtɪlɪn/

Specialized

: motilina

Motilin stimulates the smooth muscles in the stomach to promote digestion.

Examples

Scientists discovered that motilin levels rise just before the stomach starts to contract.
Researchers are studying how motilin influences gastric motility.
Motilin plays a crucial role in regulating digestive motility between meals.
Some drugs can affect the body's production of motilin, influencing gastrointestinal movement.
The level of motilin in the blood can affect digestion.
After a meal, increased levels of motilin help move food through the intestines.
Motilin is essential for coordinating gastric contractions during digestion.

Surface Forms

motilin singular

motilins plural

Morphology

motilin = motility (semi-transparent) = motil + in

Formed from the movement-related base ('motility' / 'motile') plus the biochemical/protein suffix '-in', which signals a hormone but is technical and not obvious to general learners.

Etymology

Motilin comes from the part motil- meaning 'move' and the common ending -in used for many body chemicals. It was named because this hormone makes the stomach and small intestine move, so it helps digestion.