I. | ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English uptaken, from up + taken to take — more at take
1. obsolete : to take up : lift , raise
2. chiefly Scotland : understand , comprehend
II. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
1. : understanding , comprehension
quick on the uptake
slow in the uptake — Arnold Bennett
prided herself upon being sharp at the uptake — Victoria Sackville-West
2.
a. : the pipe leading upward from the smokebox of a steam boiler to the chimney or smokestack : a flue leading upward
b. : a shaft or tube up which a current of air passes especially for ventilation : upcast
3. : take-up
the loom's uptake
4. : an act or instance of absorbing and incorporating especially into a living organism
the uptake of inorganic phosphate normally associated with respiration — P.A.Harvey & Wei Yang
thyroid function should be determined by radioiodine uptake studies — Journal American Medical Association