digest

Everyday

1. To digest food means to break it down in the stomach and intestines so the body can use it for energy and growth. tree →
2. To digest information means to think about it carefully until you understand it. tree →
3. A digest is a short collection or summary of news or writing. tree →

In the lessons

In science, the digestive system is a key topic: mouth (chewing, saliva), oesophagus, stomach (acid), small intestine (food goes into the blood), large intestine (water taken back), and out as poo. Fibre helps digestion. Some foods are hard to digest. At school, teachers give pupils time to digest new ideas. Phrases: digest food, hard to digest, digestive system, digest the news.

Examples

• The stomach helps us digest our food. tree →
• Chew well to help your body digest. tree →
• Snakes can take days to digest a big meal. tree →
• It took me a while to digest the news. tree →
• Fibre in fruit and vegetables helps digestion. tree →
• A cow has four parts to its stomach to digest grass. tree →
• The magazine has a digest of the week's news. tree →
• Crimthann absorbed instruction like a sponge and digested it as rapidly. tree →

Note

Verb stress on the second syllable: «die-JEST»; noun on the first: «DY-jest». Noun «digestion»; adjective «digestive» (also a UK biscuit). Myth: swallowed chewing gum does not stay in your stomach for seven years, but do not swallow it.