— digestedly , adv. — digestedness , n.
v. /di jest", duy-/ ; n. /duy"jest/ , v.t.
1. to convert (food) in the alimentary canal into absorbable form for assimilation into the system.
2. to promote the digestion of (food).
3. to obtain information, ideas, or principles from; assimilate mentally: to digest a pamphlet on nuclear waste.
4. to arrange methodically in the mind; think over: to digest a plan.
5. to bear with patience; endure.
6. to arrange in convenient or methodical order; reduce to a system; classify.
7. to condense, abridge, or summarize.
8. Chem. to soften or disintegrate (a substance) by means of moisture, heat, chemical action, or the like.
v.i.
9. to digest food.
10. to undergo digestion, as food.
n.
11. a collection or compendium, usually of literary, historical, legal, or scientific matter, esp. when classified or condensed.
12. Law.
a. a systematic abstract of some body of law.
b. the Digest , a collection in fifty books of excerpts, esp. from the writings of the Classical Roman jurists, compiled by order of Justinian in the 6th century A.D.; the Pandects.
13. Biochem. the product of the action of an enzyme on food or other organic material.
[ 1350-1400; (v.) ME digesten digestus separated, dissolved (ptp. of digerere ), equiv. to di- DI- 2 + ges- carry, bear (base of gerere ) + -tus ptp. suffix; (n.) ME: collection of laws digesta (pl.), L: collection of writings, neut. pl. of DIGESTUS, as above ]
Syn. 4. understand; study, ponder. 6. systematize, codify. 11. epitome, abridgment. See summary .