What does egested mean?
Egested is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'egest', a technical biological term meaning to discharge or expel waste matter, indigestible residue, or undigested material out of an organism or cell. The word is encountered most often in zoology, microbiology, and physiology, especially in descriptions of single-celled organisms such as amoebas, which engulf food particles and later egest whatever cannot be digested across their cell membrane. It also appears in discussions of animals like owls and bivalves, which void unwanted material in distinctive ways. Unlike 'excreted', which typically refers to metabolic waste such as urine or carbon dioxide, 'egested' specifically concerns undigested or unusable matter that simply passes through without being metabolized. Because of its narrow scientific register, the word rarely surfaces in casual conversation, but within biology it offers a precise alternative to vaguer terms like 'discharged' or 'eliminated'.
verbEgested is the past tense and past participle of 'egest', meaning to discharge or expel waste matter or undigested material from the body or from a cell or organism.
- To have discharged or expelled waste matter or undigested material from a body, cell, or organism.
"The single-celled organism egested the indigestible particles through its cell membrane."
"Amoebas egested waste particles by fusing their vacuoles with the cell membrane."
"The owl's pellet contained the bones it had earlier egested after feeding."
While you probably know that your body digests food, biologists reserve 'egested' for the unglamorous half of the story: getting the leftovers out.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of egested
The word derives from Latin 'egestus', the past participle of 'egerere', meaning to carry out or discharge, formed from 'e-' (out) plus 'gerere' (to carry). English adopted 'egest' as a learned borrowing, likely in the 17th century, alongside related Latinate verbs sharing the same root, including 'digest', 'ingest', and 'suggest'. Its noun form, 'egestion', appeared slightly earlier and remains the more commonly cited form in older scientific texts.
Related word forms
How egested is actually used
'Egested' is a technical term used chiefly in biology and zoology, particularly in describing simple organisms such as protozoa and invertebrates; it is rare in everyday speech, where 'excreted' or 'got rid of' would normally be used.
Easily confused with egested
'Digested' refers to breaking down food for absorption in the body, whereas 'egested' refers to expelling waste or undigested matter out of the body.