I . *pro·cess
/ ˈprəʊses; NAmE ˈprɑːses; ˈproʊ-/ noun , verb
—see also process (II)
■ noun
1.
a series of things that are done in order to achieve a particular result :
a consultation process
to begin the difficult process of reforming the education system
I'm afraid getting things changed will be a slow process.
mental processes
Coming off the drug was a long and painful (= difficult) process for him.
Find which food you are allergic to by a process of elimination .
We're in the process of selling our house.
I was moving some furniture and I twisted my ankle in the process (= while I was doing it) .
—see also peace process
2.
a series of things that happen, especially ones that result in natural changes :
the ageing process
It's a normal part of the learning process .
3.
a method of doing or making sth, especially one that is used in industry :
manufacturing processes
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
to treat raw material, food, etc. in order to change it, preserve it, etc. :
Most of the food we buy is processed in some way.
processed cheese
I sent three rolls of film away to be processed.
a sewage processing plant
2.
to deal officially with a document, request, etc. :
It will take a week for your application to be processed.
3.
( computing ) to perform a series of operations on data in a computer
► pro·cess·ing noun [ U ]:
the food processing industry
—see also data processing , word processing
II . pro·cess
/ prəˈses; NAmE / verb
[ v + adv. / prep. ] ( formal ) to walk or move along slowly in, or as if in, a procession
—see also process (I)
••
WORD ORIGIN
I . Middle English : from Old French proces , from Latin processus progression, course, from the verb procedere , from pro- forward + cedere go. Current senses of the verb date from the late 19th cent.
II . early 19th cent.: back-formation from procession .