digest
Definitions
To break down food in the body so it can be absorbed
消化（食物）
To take in and fully understand information or an experience
领会，消化（信息）
A short, condensed summary of longer material
文摘，摘要
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveddi- (a form of dis-, 'apart') + gest (carry) = to carry apart, to break into pieces. The stomach breaks food into absorbable bits; the mind breaks hard information into chunks it can take in; and a 'digest' is a long text broken down and condensed. One image — breaking something big into manageable parts — runs through all three.
Root gest still carries 36 more wordsUsage Guide
Stress shifts with part of speech and sense. The verb is di-GEST (/daɪˈdʒest/ or /dɪ-/). The noun meaning 'a summary' is DI-gest (/ˈdaɪdʒest/), stress on the first syllable. Mixing them up is a common pronunciation slip.
Example Sentences
- 1.
It takes a few hours to digest a heavy meal.
- 2.
Give me a moment to digest this surprising news.
- 3.
The magazine publishes a monthly digest of business trends.