n.
Pronunciation: d ī - ' jest, d ə -
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin digestus
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 : to distribute or arrange systematically : CLASSIFY
2 : to convert (food) into absorbable form
3 : to take into the mind or memory especially : to assimilate mentally
4 a : to soften, decompose, or break down by heat and moisture or chemical action <DNA digest ed by restriction enzymes> b : to extract soluble ingredients from by warming with a liquid
5 : to compress into a short summary
6 : ABSORB 1 <the capacity of the U.S. to digest immigrants>
intransitive verb
1 : to digest food
2 : to become digested <foods that digest easily>