What does ingestion mean?
Ingestion is the process of taking food or another substance into the body, normally by swallowing. It can also describe the broader act of receiving, absorbing, or importing information, materials, or data into a system. In medical and nutritional contexts, the word may suggest deliberate consumption, as in “safe ingestion of medicines,” while it can also refer to accidental exposure. In computing, “data ingestion” is an established technical expression for bringing information from external systems into a database or application. The word is especially useful because it makes the idea of intake precise: the plain term “intake” can refer broadly to entry into a system, whereas ingestion more clearly evokes the act of taking something in for processing, digestion, or use. Its Latin-derived formation also gives it a formal, professional tone, making it common in scientific, medical, and technical writing.
nounThe act of taking food or other substances into the body, especially through the mouth. More broadly, it means the process of receiving or absorbing information, materials, or data into a system.
- The act of taking food or other substances into the body, especially by swallowing.
- The process of receiving, processing, or absorbing information, materials, or data into a system.
- The act of taking in or absorbing something, especially for later use or treatment.
"The program supports the ingestion of data from a wide range of external sources."
"Improper ingestion of the chemical can result in serious illness."
"The company has developed a secure system for the ingestion of customer data."
The plural is used mainly for separate instances or processes of ingestion.
"The study examined repeated ingestions of the medication over a five-year period."
From the same Latin root as ingest, the word ingestion describes everything from swallowing a meal to bringing billions of data records into a computer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ingestion come from?
The word derives from Latin ingestio, a noun formed from the stem of ingerere, “to carry in” or “to take into,” from in- (“in”) and gerere (“to carry, bear”). English borrowed the stem in forms such as ingest and later developed ingestion with the suffix -ion. The same root is reflected in related words including ingestible, meaning fit to be taken into the body, and indigestible, meaning not easily digested.
Related word forms
How ingestion is actually used
In medicine and nutrition, ingestion usually refers to the deliberate or accidental taking of food, medicine, or a substance into the body. In computing and business, it is often used in technical contexts for collecting and receiving data from outside sources.
Easily confused with ingestion
Ingestion is the noun naming the process, while ingest is the verb describing the act of taking in food, information, or other material.
Intake often refers more generally to the quantity or act of receiving something, whereas ingestion especially emphasizes the process of taking something into the body or a system.