digest Hear it!

digest definition

di·gest (jest′; for v. di jest, dī-)

noun

  1. a condensed but comprehensive account of a body of information; summary or synopsis, as of scientific, legal, or literary material
  2. a book, periodical, etc. consisting chiefly of such summaries or synopses or of articles condensed from other publications
  3. Rom. Law the Pandects of the Emperor Justinian

Etymology: ME < L digesta (in LL, a collection of writings), orig. pl. of digestus, pp. of digerere, to separate, explain < di-, apart + gerere, to bear, carry

transitive verb

    1. to arrange or classify systematically, usually in condensed form
    2. to condense (a piece of writing) by briefly summarizing its contents
  1. to change (food), esp. in the mouth, stomach, and intestines by the action of gastric and intestinal juices, enzymes, and bacteria, into a form that can be absorbed by the body
  2. to aid the digestion of (food)
  3. to think over and absorb
  4. to soften, disintegrate, etc. by the use of heat, usually together with water or other liquid

Etymology: ME digesten < L digestus: see digestthe

intransitive verb

  1. to be digested
  2. to digest food

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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