digestive
/daɪˈdʒɛstɪv/ adjective, noun
Forms digestives
- adjective Of, relating to, or functioning in digestion.
- adjective That causes or promotes digestion.
- noun A substance that aids digestion.
- noun (UK, Ireland, Canada) A digestive biscuit. “I bought a packet of chocolate digestives.”
Etymology
From Old French digestif, from Late Latin dīgestīvus. Doublet of digestif.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Pertaining to digestion; having the power to cause or promote digestion; as, the digestive ferments.
- noun That which aids digestion, as a food or medicine. Chaucer.
- noun (a) A substance which, when applied to a wound or ulcer, promotes suppuration. Dunglison.
Etymology [F. digestif, L. digestivus.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “digestive”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details