digestion
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the way your body breaks down food into small pieces so it can use the energy.
the physiological process in the gastrointestinal tract by which food is converted into absorbable substances.
Simple“Eating slowly can help improve your digestion and prevent stomach pain.”
In context“The patient complained of chronic indigestion, suggesting that the natural enzymes required for efficient digestion were not being produced in sufficient quantities.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the process of thinking about new information until you fully understand it.
the mental assimilation and processing of ideas or information.
Simple“Some books require slow reading and careful digestion to understand the main point.”
In context“After the intense three-day seminar, the executives needed time for the digestion of the complex new strategies before they could implement them.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
the process where tiny living things break down waste or natural materials.
the decomposition of organic matter, often assisted by microorganisms in a controlled environment.
Simple“The plant uses anaerobic digestion to turn food waste into green energy.”
In context“Anaerobic digestion in the treatment facility converts sewage sludge into biogas, providing a sustainable method for managing municipal waste.”
Synonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
dissolving a solid sample into a liquid using heat and strong chemicals.
the process of dissolving a sample into a solution using acid and heat for chemical analysis.
Simple“The scientist performed an acid digestion to test the soil for heavy metals.”
In context“Complete digestion of the mineral sample was achieved by heating it in concentrated nitric acid for several hours within a sealed vessel.”
Synonyms
“In fact, it was the answer to all of the strange health problems she had been experiencing for years - issues with digestion, fatigue, and pain.”
“Methane is produced by microbes within a cow's stomach during digestion (known as enteric methane), and most of it is breathed out into the atmosphere.”
From Old French digestion. Partly displaced native Old English melting (“melting, digestion”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.