Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Digestion has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
the process of decomposing organic matter (as in sewage) by bacteria or by chemical action or heat
"The new plant is designed to accelerate the digestion of raw sewage through controlled bacterial activity."
the organic process by which food is converted into substances that can be absorbed into the body
"After eating a heavy meal, she felt sluggish because her digestion was working hard to convert the rich foods into energy."
learning and coming to understand ideas and information
"his appetite for facts was better than his digestion"
The process, in the gastrointestinal tract, by which food is converted into substances that can be utilized by the body.
"After a large meal, my stomach growled loudly as it kicked off the complex work of digestion to break down everything I had eaten."
The word comes from Old French and originally meant the process of melting. It replaced an earlier Old English term with a similar meaning.