What does digestion mean?
Digestion is the process by which the body converts food into substances it can absorb and use. Beginning in the mouth, where food is chewed and mixed with saliva, and continuing through the stomach and intestines, digestion relies on enzymes and muscular action to break carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into simpler molecules such as sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids. These nutrients pass into the bloodstream and nourish every cell of the body. Beyond biology, the word is also applied figuratively to the mind: one speaks of the slow digestion of a difficult idea or a weighty book, meaning its gradual absorption and understanding. In everyday speech, digestion appears most often in discussions of health — phrases like 'good digestion' or 'poor digestion' are common in advice about diet, exercise, and wellbeing. Derived from Latin roots meaning to carry apart or dissolve, the word carries a neutral, scientific tone in literal use and a slightly formal one when used metaphorically.
The process by which food is broken down in the body into substances that can be absorbed and used.
"Chewing food thoroughly is the first step in good digestion."
The act of mentally absorbing or assimilating information.
"The report's findings required careful digestion before any conclusions could be drawn."
Rarely used; the word is almost always treated as uncountable.
"Different species have evolved remarkably different digestions."
Your gut hosts trillions of microbes that help digest your food — so many that some scientists call them a second brain.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of digestion
Digestion comes from the Latin verb 'digerere', meaning 'to carry apart, divide, or dissolve', formed from 'dis-' (apart) and 'gerere' (to carry). It entered English via Old French in the late Middle Ages, initially referring both to the breakdown of food and, in older usage, to the process by which the body supposedly transformed food into flesh and blood. Its cognates include 'digest', 'digestive', and 'indigestion', all sharing the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How digestion is actually used
Primarily used in medical, scientific, and health contexts for its literal sense; the figurative sense (processing ideas) is more formal or literary. The plural 'digestions' is rare and generally avoided.
Easily confused with digestion
'Digestion' is the normal process of breaking down food, while 'indigestion' is discomfort or pain caused when that process goes wrong.