digerir

Digerir is a Portuguese verb meaning to break down substances so they can be absorbed by the body. In everyday use it also means to assimilate or come to terms with information, experiences, or events. The term appears in medical, nutritional, and figurative contexts.

In biology and physiology, digestion is the sequence of mechanical and chemical steps that convert food into nutrients. It begins in the mouth with chewing and saliva, proceeds in the stomach with acids and enzymes, and continues in the small intestine where most nutrients are absorbed with the help of pancreatic enzymes and bile. Undigested material is eliminated as waste.

Digerir is a transitive verb and typically requires a direct object, such as digerir comida, digerir a informação, or digerir uma notícia. Related forms include digerível, meaning digestible, and indigerível, indicating something difficult or impossible to digest. The verb is used both literally and figuratively: people may say they digerirem experiências ou ideias.

Etymology: the verb comes from Latin digerere, from which the noun digestão and the adjective digestível are also derived. The concept is central to nutrition, medicine, psychology, and daily language.