Ch. 12 Urinary System Key Terms
what is urethra
The tube that carries the urine from the bladder to the outside.
what is urinary meatus
The exterior opening of the urethra.
what is urinary system
Also known as the excretory system, it is responsible for removing certain wastes and excess water from the body and for maintaining the body's acid-base or pH balance.
what is bladder
A hollow, muscular sac that receives the urine from the ureters and stores the urine until it is eliminated from the body.
what is hilum
A notched or indented area of the kidney through which the ureter, nerves, blood vessels, and lymph vessels enter and leave the kidney.
what is Bowman's capsule
A C-shaped structure that surrounds the glomerulus and is the start of the convoluted tubule. It picks up the materials filtered from the blood in the glomerulus and passes them into the convoluted tubule.
what is homeostasis
A state of equilibrium or constant state of natural balance in the internal environment of the body. The urinary system influences this by regulating the volume and composition of blood.
what is cortex
The outer section of the kidney. It contains most of the nephrons, which aid in the production of urine.
what is kidneys
Two bean-shaped organs located on either side of the vertebral column, behind the upper part of the abdominal cavity. They are the main organs of the urinary system.
what is excretory system
Another name for the urinary system. It is responsible for removing certain wastes and excess water from the body and for maintaining the body's acid-base or pH balance.
what is medulla
The inner section of the kidney. It contains most of the collecting tubules, which carry the urine from the nephrons through the kidney.
what are nephrons
Microscopic filtering units located in the kidneys. There are more than one million per kidney.
what is urine
The concentrated liquid waste product produced by the urinary system. It is approximately 95 percent water and contains dissolved waste products like urea, uric acid, and creatinine.
what is glomerulus
A cluster of capillaries within the nephron where water, mineral salts, glucose, metabolic products, and other substances are filtered out of the blood.
what is renal pelvis
A funnel-shaped structure (also called the renal basin) that is the first section of the ureter. The collecting ducts empty into it.
what is void
To urinate or micturate (eliminate urine from the body).
what is ureters
Two muscular tubes, each approximately 10–12 inches long, that extend from the renal pelvis of each kidney to the bladder. Peristalsis moves urine through them.