di·ges·tion (d -j s ch n, d -)n. 1. Physiology a. The process by which food is converted into substances that can be absorbed and assimilated by the body. It is accomplished in the alimentary canal by the mechanical and enzymatic breakdown of foods into simpler chemical compounds. b. The result of this process. c. The ability to digest food. 2. The process of decomposing organic matter in sewage by bacteria. 3. Assimilation of ideas or information; understanding. |
digestion [dɪˈdʒɛstʃən daɪ-]
n
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Physiology) the act or process in living organisms of breaking down ingested food material into easily absorbed and assimilated substances by the action of enzymes and other agents Related adj peptic
2. (Psychology) mental assimilation, esp of ideas
3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Microbiology) Bacteriol the decomposition of sewage by the action of bacteria
4. (Chemistry) Chem the treatment of material with heat, solvents, chemicals, etc., to cause softening or decomposition
[from Old French, from Latin digestiō a dissolving, digestion]
digestional adj
| digestion (d-jschn) 1. The process by which food is broken down into simple chemical compounds that can be absorbed and used as nutrients or eliminated by the body. In most animals, nutrients are obtained from food by the action of digestive enzymes. In humans and other higher vertebrates, digestion takes place mainly in the small intestine. In protists and some invertebrates, digestion occurs by phagocytosis. 2. The decomposition of organic material, such as sewage, by bacteria. |   During digestion, enzymes break down large molecules in foods, such as starch, into simple compounds that are absorbed into the small intestine and the bloodstream. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  digestion - the process of decomposing organic matter (as in sewage) by bacteria or by chemical action or heatchemical action, chemical change, chemical process - (chemistry) any process determined by the atomic and molecular composition and structure of the substances involved |
| 2. | digestion - the organic process by which food is converted into substances that can be absorbed into the body gastric digestion - the process of breaking down proteins by the action of the gastric juice in the stomach biological process, organic process - a process occurring in living organisms | |
| 3. | digestion - learning and coming to understand ideas and information; "his appetite for facts was better than his digestion" learning, acquisition - the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge; "the child's acquisition of language" |
digestion
noun ingestion, absorption, incorporation, assimilation Liquids served with meals interfere with digestion.
Related words
adjective peptic
adjective peptic
Translations
digestion [daɪˈdʒɛstʃən dɪˈdʒɛstʃən daɪˈdʒɛstʃən] n
(= process) → digestion f
to aid digestion → aider la digestion
the digestion of sth → la digestion de qch
to aid digestion → aider la digestion
the digestion of sth → la digestion de qch
(= system) → digestion f
digestion
n → Verdauung f
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