digestion
the process in the alimentary canal by which food is broken up physically, as by the action of the teeth, and chemically, as by the action of enzymes, and converted into a substance suitable for absorption and assimilation into the body.
the function or power of digesting food: My digestion is bad.
Origin of digestion
1Other words from digestion
- di·ges·tion·al, adjective
- non·di·ges·tion, noun
- re·di·ges·tion, noun
- self-di·ges·tion, noun
Words Nearby digestion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use digestion in a sentence
This will warm you from the inside out and start your body’s natural digestion engine to keep you warmer throughout the night.
How to stay warm while sleeping in the frigid outdoors | Alisha McDarris | February 12, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThis greatly helps to maintain a healthy gut, improve digestion and reduce bloating.
While research on our gut microbiomes is an emerging field, having healthy gut microbes may improve immune-system function, help regulate weight, and aid overall digestion.
They can be cost-effective and are useful for those who want to increase their protein intake without getting too specific when it comes to digestion rate.
Best protein powder: Better nutrition in a bottle | Carsen Joenk | January 11, 2021 | Popular-ScienceIt turns out that the simple mixing of the two enzymes doubles the speed of their plastic digestion.
Plastic-eating ‘Pac-men’: Researchers say enzyme cocktail could revolutionize recycling | David Meyer | September 29, 2020 | Fortune
In the fall of 2010, it bought an anaerobic digestion project then under construction in London, Ontario.
This may cause a negative autoimmune response, and inhibits proper digestion and nutrient absorption.
Research Shows Link Between NSAID Use and Gut Disease | Valerie Vande Panne | April 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTdigestion is a technical term which relates the mechanical, enzymatic, and chemical degradation of food.
Quora Q: Does Drinking Water During Meals Help or Hinder the Digestive System? | Quora Contributor | January 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe simple act of extra chewing will help create additional saliva which can aid in digestion.
Use These 15 Home Remedies Based On Ayurveda To Cure Menstrual Cramps, Hangovers, and Indigestion | Ari Meisel | January 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey can even help your digestion and the regularity of your bowel movements.
Squats: The Absolutely Incredible Secret to Staying in Shape | Ari Meisel | January 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe extent to which digestion has taken place can be roughly judged from the appearance of the food-particles.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddAlthough usually present early in digestion, it disappears when free hydrochloric acid begins to appear.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddExcess of any of these structures may result from excessive ingestion or deficient intestinal digestion.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddBut the Oriental we can't assimilate, for all our ostrich-like digestion, and what we can't assimilate we won't have.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonWhen his infirmities began with rheumatism and bad digestion, she nursed him as if she had been his daughter.
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange Kielland
British Dictionary definitions for digestion
/ (dɪˈdʒɛstʃən, daɪ-) /
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 adjective: peptic
mental assimilation, esp of ideas
bacteriol the decomposition of sewage by the action of bacteria
chem the treatment of material with heat, solvents, chemicals, etc, to cause softening or decomposition
Origin of digestion
1Derived forms of digestion
- digestional, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for digestion
[ dī-jĕs′chən ]
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.
The decomposition of organic material, such as sewage, by bacteria.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for digestion
The breaking down of food, which is made up of complex organic molecules (see also organic molecule), into smaller molecules that the body can absorb and use for maintenance and growth.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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