Peristalsis

In much of a digestive tract, such as the human gastrointestinal tract, smooth muscle tissue contracts in sequence to produce a peristaltic wave, which propels a ball of food (a food bolus) before being transformed into chyme in the stomach along the tract. The peristaltic movement comprises relaxation of circular smooth muscles, then their contraction behind the chewed material to keep it from moving backward, then longitudinal contraction to push it forward. Catastalsis is an obsolete term for the peristaltic wave.

Earthworms use a similar mechanism to drive their locomotion, and some modern machinery imitate this design.

The word comes from Neo-Latin and is derived from the Greekperistellein, "to wrap around," from peri-, "around" + stellein, "draw in, bring together; set in order".