digest

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To break down food in the body so it can be absorbed.

   My stomach finds it hard to digest fatty foods.

2. 2
   verb

   To take time to understand and absorb new information or ideas.

   I need a few days to digest everything I learned at the conference.

3. 3
   verb

   To organize information into a clear, summarized form.

   The committee digested the long report into a short summary.

From Middle English digesten, from Latin dīgestus, past participle of dīgerō (“carry apart”), from dī- (for dis- (“apart”)) + gerō (“to carry”), influenced by Middle French digestion. Partly displaced native Old English meltan (intransitive) and mieltan (transitive), both “to melt, to digest,” whence Modern English melt.

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