digestive

/dəˈdʒɛstɪv/

/daɪˈdʒɛstɪv/

Other forms: digestives; digestively

Anything that's digestive has something to do with the body's process of breaking down food. A stomach ache can be a sign of digestive problems — or just nervousness about the first day of school.

Your digestive system is made up of all the body parts that contribute to taking large pieces of food and breaking them into water-soluble bits that are eventually absorbed into your bloodstream. Sometimes this adjective describes food that's meant to help in this process, like digestive mints and digestive biscuits. As a noun it simply means "food or medicine that aids digestion." If you're overfull after Thanksgiving dinner, your grandmother might suggest you take a digestive.

Definitions of digestive

1. noun

   any substance that promotes digestion
   type of:

   substance

   a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties
2. adjective

   relating to or having the power to cause or promote digestion
   “digestive juices”

   “a digestive enzyme”

   “digestive ferment”