adjective
noun
-
a less common word for digestant
-
short for digestive biscuit
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of digestive
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French digestif < Latin dīgestīvus, equivalent to dīgest ( us ) ( see digest) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Anything that's digestive has something to do with the body's process of breaking down food. A stomach ache can be a sign of digestive problems — or just nervousness about the first day of school. Your digestive system is made up of all the body parts that contribute to taking large pieces of food and breaking them into water-soluble bits that are eventually absorbed into your bloodstream. Sometimes this adjective describes food that's meant to help in this process, like digestive mints and digestive biscuits. As a noun it simply means "food or medicine that aids digestion." If you're overfull after Thanksgiving dinner, your grandmother might suggest you take a digestive.
Vocabulary lists containing digestive
Life Science: Human Systems
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Life Science II
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Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
This difference may explain why the researchers observed strong appetite suppression without several of the behavioral and digestive changes they were monitoring.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
They also reveal an intriguing connection between the bacteria living in our digestive system, the way our bodies process pain, and muscle function.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
She said the nurdles could affect wildlife in various ways, including getting stuck in animal digestive tracts and adsorbing chemicals which then may be toxic to wildlife when ingested.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Their allure also has to do with the way that strips are absorbed buccally, in the cheek, and sublingually, under the tongue, as opposed to only in the digestive tract.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Oysters and clams may concentrate these poisons in their digestive organs and other tissues.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
The boss of the biscuits factory where McVitie's chocolate digestives have been made for the last 100 years reckons people have always eaten them incorrectly.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2025
Historically, digestives were made with wholemeal, a combination of fine bran and white flour.
From Washington Post ● May 10, 2022
The British brand McVitie’s even has a dunking expert, Stuart Farrimond, and he claims that dunking digestives in a milky drink releases more flavor than you’d get from a dry one.
From Washington Post ● May 10, 2022
Related: Chocolate digestives: the best and worst – taste test Helps weight loss Can this really be true?
From The Guardian ● Mar. 8, 2016
By the ancient medical philosopher Galen, and others, it may be added, that dried lemon-peel was considered as one of the best digestives, and recommended to weak and delicate persons.
From The Book of Household Management by Mrs. (Isabella Mary) Beeton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
