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Definition of "peptic" [pep•tic]

  • Of, relating to, or assisting digestion: peptic secretion. (adjective)
  • Induced by or associated with the action of digestive secretions: a peptic ulcer. (adjective)
  • Of, relating to, or involving pepsin. (adjective)
  • Capable of digesting. (adjective)
  • A digestive agent. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "peptic" in a sentence
  • "Each cell is a little laboratory, which concocts out of the material brought to it or near it by the blood a certain potent, biting fluid, and is hence called a peptic or digestive cell."
  • "- Plavix® is contraindicated in patients with active pathologic bleeding such as peptic ulcer or intracranial hemorrhage."
  • "Research presented last week suggests that he suffered from three distinct ailments: cyclic vomiting syndrome CVS, which generally starts in childhood; Chagas' disease, a parasitic illness contracted during his five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle, and Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria now known to cause peptic ulcers."