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 Noun
1. the process of breaking down food into easily absorbed substances
2. the body's system for doing this
digestion (d -j s ch n)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. | digestion 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. |
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| Noun | 1. | digestion - the process of decomposing organic matter (as in sewage) by bacteria or by chemical action or heat |
| 2. | digestion - the organic process by which food is converted into substances that can be absorbed into the bodygastric digestion - the process of breaking down proteins by the action of the gastric juice in the stomach |
| 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
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