Ingerire

Ingerire is an Italian verb meaning to ingest or swallow something, including food, drink, or medication. It is used transitively with a direct object, as in ingerire cibo, ingerire bevande, or ingerire una compressa. The term is common in medical, pharmacological, and everyday contexts to describe taking substances into the digestive system through the mouth. It can also be used figuratively to mean taking in or absorbing information, though this sense is less common.

Etymology and conjugation: Ingerire derives from Latin ingerere, formed from in- “into” and gerere “to bear, carry.” In modern Italian it is an -ire verb that forms the present tense with an -isco pattern: io ingerisco, tu ingerisci, lui/lei ingerisce, noi ingeriamo, voi ingerite, loro ingeriscono. The past participle is ingerito, and the gerund is ingerendo. The verb is typically used with a direct object, such as medicamento, pillola, o liquido.

Usage notes: In everyday language, synonyms include deglutire and mandare giù (colloquial). In medical contexts, accurate dosing phrases are common, for example specifying how much or how frequently to ingerire a dose. Unlike some technical terms, ingerire is not typically used to describe data processing or non-physical intake, where terms like “assorbire” or “assumere” may be more appropriate depending on the context.

Examples: Il paziente deve ingerire la pillola con un bicchiere d’acqua. L’azienda ha raccomandato di ingerire dosi regolari per tutta la durata del trattamento.