digestive

[ dih-jes-tiv, dahy- ]

/ dɪˈdʒɛs tɪv, daɪ- /

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adjective

serving for or pertaining to digestion; having the function of digesting food: the digestive tract.

promoting digestion.

noun

a substance promoting digestion.

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Origin of digestive

1350–1400; Middle English <Middle French digestif<Latin dīgestīvus, equivalent to dīgest(us) (see digest) + -īvus-ive

OTHER WORDS FROM digestive

di·ges·tive·ly, adverbnon·di·ges·tive, adjectivepost·di·ges·tive, adjective

Words nearby digestive

digestant, digester, digestible, digestif, digestion, digestive, digestive biscuit, digestive gland, digestive system, digestive tract, digged

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use digestive in a sentence

Recovering patients, they say, have continued to test positive through samples from the lower digestive tract days after nasal and throat swabs came back negative.
China rolls out anal swab coronavirus test, saying it’s more accurate than throat method|Eva Dou|January 27, 2021|Washington Post
Each serving has 20 grams of protein with the inclusion of a helpful digestive enzyme.
Best protein powder: Better nutrition in a bottle|Carsen Joenk|January 11, 2021|Popular-Science
It’s a fun look at what readers can gain by setting down the glass — from extra money to health benefits such as better sleep, clearer skin and fewer digestive problems.
For the new year, an easy-to-sip guide that helps you abstain from alcohol for a month — or longer|Erin Blakemore|January 2, 2021|Washington Post
He’s an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke, and I’ve written about his research several times, most recently last year when he and his colleagues proposed that our digestive tracts dictate the limits of sustained multi-week endurance challenges.
The 2020 Sweat Science Holiday Book List|Alex Hutchinson|December 16, 2020|Outside Online

The company has already produced several possible proteins and has shown in its lab that they can survive digestive enzymes and the acidic environment found in the stomach.
This startup is using robots and A.I. to design new drugs|Jeremy Kahn|October 29, 2020|Fortune
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract performs different digestive functions are various different locations.
‘Rectal Feeding’ Has Nothing to Do with Nutrition, Everything to Do with Torture|Russell Saunders|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some natural health practitioners also say activated charcoal can be useful to treat minor digestive issues.
Could Eating Charcoal Help You Detox?|DailyBurn|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Biofuel” can be made out of anything that will ferment or rot, including digestive system waste products.
The Federal Government Has Violated My Right to Chainsaw|P. J. O’Rourke|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For people with celiac disease, consuming gluten triggers an immune response in the digestive system.
Research Shows Link Between NSAID Use and Gut Disease|Valerie Vande Panne|April 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Quora Q: Does drinking water during meals help or hinder the digestive system?
Quora Q: Does Drinking Water During Meals Help or Hinder the Digestive System?|Quora Contributor|January 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They often appear in digestive disturbances, in neurasthenia, and when the oxidizing power of the system is diminished.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
It shuddered at the thought of Albert overloading his digestive tract any more than he had been doing the past week.
Insidekick|Jesse Franklin Bone
A reprint of articles bearing on this subject is issued under the title Digestive impossibilities.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various
As soon as the fish are nearly ready for spawning, all their digestive parts shrivel up, so that they can't eat.
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries|Francis Rolt-Wheeler
Several glands, the function of which is to produce digestive fluids, open into the food tube.
A Civic Biology|George William Hunter

British Dictionary definitions for digestive

digestive

digestant (daɪˈdʒɛstənt)

/ (dɪˈdʒɛstɪv, daɪ-) /

adjective

relating to, aiding, or subjecting to digestiona digestive enzyme

noun

a less common word for digestant

short for digestive biscuit

Derived forms of digestive

digestively, adverb

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