indigestion
Americannoun
-
uncomfortable inability or difficulty in digesting food; dyspepsia.
-
an instance or case of indigestion.
noun
Etymology
Origin of indigestion
1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin indīgestiōn- (stem of indīgestiō ). See in- 2, digestion
Explanation
Indigestion is what happens when your body has trouble digesting food and you get a stomach ache. Some indigestion can be avoided by chewing slowly and not eating a large pepperoni pizza for breakfast. If your stomach feels uncomfortable after a big meal, or you can't stop burping, it's probably indigestion. Some people know what food gives them indigestion, whether it's ice cream, fried foods, or hamburgers, and in many cases indigestion can be soothed with medicine or home remedies like ginger tea or peppermint. Indigestion adds the "not" prefix in- to digestion, which comes from the Latin root digestus, "digested thing."
Vocabulary lists containing indigestion
Charlotte's Web
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The Chocolate Touch
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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.
One study found that between 1985 and 2009, the percentage of button battery ingestions that led to serious or deadly injuries had risen more than sixfold.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2024
Notably, 38.4% of the study participants were younger than 6 years, an age group at high risk from accidental ingestions of allergy-triggering foods.
From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2024
From 2010 through 2021, the agency estimated, hospital emergency rooms treated 26,600 cases of magnet ingestions.
From New York Times • Mar. 10, 2023
No magnet ingestions or injuries have been reported.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 9, 2023
As the National Capital Poison Center explains, "small unintentional ingestions generally do not cause harm."
From Salon • Sep. 10, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
