From HomoExcelsior

1. The process by which food is converted into substances that can be absorbed and assimilated by the body. It is accomplished in the alimentary canal by the mechanical and enzymatic breakdown of foods into simpler chemical compounds. 2. The result of this process. 3. The ability to digest food. 4. The process of decomposing organic matter in sewage by bacteria. 5. Assimilation of ideas or information; understanding.

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