digestive

Everyday

1. Digestive means to do with digestion, the way the body breaks down food so it can use it. tree →
2. The digestive system is the set of body parts, from mouth to stomach to intestines, that digests food. tree →
3. (UK, Ireland, Australia) A digestive (digestive biscuit) is a plain, slightly sweet, round wholemeal biscuit, often dunked in tea. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, pupils learn the digestive system: mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine. In everyday British and Irish life, a digestive is a common biscuit; chocolate digestives are very popular. Phrases: «digestive system», «digestive juices», «chocolate digestive».

Examples

• Food travels through the digestive system. tree →
• Your stomach is part of your digestive system. tree →
• Gran always has a digestive with her cup of tea. tree →
• Saliva starts the digestive process in your mouth. tree →
• I dunked my digestive and half of it fell in the tea. tree →
• Fibre is good for your digestive health. tree →
• Can I have a chocolate digestive? tree →

Note

As a biscuit name it is countable (two digestives). The name comes from an old belief that these biscuits help digestion; that is a myth, not proven. Related: digest (verb), digestion (noun).