Definition

1. Noun:
   • The biological process of breaking down food: The complex physiological process, occurring primarily in the stomach and intestines, by which ingested food is broken down mechanically and chemically into simpler substances that can be absorbed into the bloodstream and used by the body for energy, growth, and cell repair.
   • The ability or power to digest food: The capacity of an individual's digestive system to process food effectively.
   • The mental process of assimilating ideas: The process of comprehending, absorbing, and integrating information or knowledge, making it one's own.
   • The decomposition of organic matter: The process by which organic material (e.g., in sewage, compost) is broken down by bacteria, chemical action, or heat.

Usage and Examples

• Referring to the biological process:
  • Proper digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and the action of saliva.
  • The book explained the human digestive system and the stages of digestion.
• Referring to digestive capacity:
  • He has a very strong digestion and can eat almost anything.
  • Spicy food upsets my digestion.
• Referring to mental assimilation:
  • After the lecture, I needed some quiet time for the digestion of all that complex theory.
  • Her digestion of the historical events was evident in her insightful essay.
• Referring to decomposition:
  • The digestion of sewage is a key step in modern waste treatment plants.
  • Anaerobic digestion produces biogas as a byproduct.

Advanced Usage

• "be hard of digestion": (idiomatic, often for food) Difficult to digest.
  • Fried foods are often hard of digestion.
• "a weak/sluggish digestion": (idiomatic) A digestive system that functions slowly or inefficiently.
  • His sluggish digestion meant he avoided heavy meals in the evening.
• The term is often used metaphorically to compare intellectual understanding to biological processing.
  • The digestion of a new philosophical concept can take time.

Variants and Related Words

• Digest (verb): To break down food in the body; to comprehend information.
  • It takes time to digest a heavy meal.
  • I need a moment to digest this news.
• Digestive (adjective): Relating to digestion.
  • The digestive process is essential for life.
• Digestible (adjective): Capable of being digested (literally or figuratively).
  • This meat is tough and not easily digestible.
  • The professor made the complex topic digestible for beginners.
• Indigestion (noun): Pain or discomfort in the stomach associated with difficulty in digesting food.
  • He suffered from indigestion after overeating.

Synonyms

• Assimilation: (for biological and mental contexts) The process of absorbing and integrating.
• Processing: (for mental context) The act of dealing with information.
• Decomposition: (for organic matter context) The state or process of rotting; decay.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• Food for thought: An idea or issue to ponder, metaphorically linking thinking to digestion.
  • The speaker's comments provided plenty of food for thought.
• Chew over: To think about something carefully, akin to chewing food.
  • Let me chew over that proposal before I give you an answer.
• Hard to swallow: Difficult to believe or accept, extending the metaphor of digestion.
  • His excuse for being late was hard to swallow.

Noun

1. learning and coming to understand ideas and information
   • his appetite for facts was better than his digestion
2. the organic process by which food is converted into substances that can be absorbed into the body
3. the process of decomposing organic matter (as in sewage) by bacteria or by chemical action or heat