də̇ˈjes(h)chən, dīˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English digestioun, from Middle French digestion, from Latin digestion-, digestio, from digestus + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : the action or process of digesting ; also : the power of digesting
2. obsolete : the generation of pus : suppuration
3. : the process of making food absorbable by dissolving it and breaking it down into simpler chemical compounds that occurs in the living body chiefly through the action of secretions containing enzymes (as the saliva and the gastric, pancreatic, and intestinal juices in the alimentary canal of higher animals)
4. : the process in sewage treatment by which organic matter in sludge is decomposed by anaerobic bacteria with the release of a burnable mixture of gases (as methane with carbon dioxide)
5. : partial or complete solution of rock in magma
• di·ges·tion·al də̇ˈjes(h)chən ə l, (ˈ)dī|j- adjective
• digestionally adverb