DIGESTION, noun [Latin] 1. The conversion of food into chyme, or the process of dissolving aliment in the stomach and preparing it for circulation and nourishment. A good digestion is essential to health. 2. In chemistry, the operation of exposing bodies to a gentle heat, to prepare them for some action on each other; or the slow action of a solvent on any substance. 3. The act of methodizing and reducing to order; the maturation of a design. 4. The process of maturing an ulcer or wound, and disposing it to generate pus; or the generation of matter. 5. The process of dissolution and preparation of substances for manure, as in compost.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI