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.