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Glite Dictionary
gastric digestion

gastric digestion

3.7
To break down proteins in the stomach using acid and enzymes
  • noun
  • /ˈɡæstrɪk daɪˈdʒɛstʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : digestión gástrica
  • Gastric digestion is the initial stage in processing proteins as food enters the stomach.

Examples

  • Pepsin and hydrochloric acid both play crucial roles in gastric digestion.

  • The process of gastric digestion is essential for nutrient absorption.

  • Problems with gastric digestion can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

  • During gastric digestion, food is broken down into smaller components.

  • Gastric digestion occurs in the stomach as food is broken down by gastric juices.

  • Pepsin is an enzyme that aids in gastric digestion by breaking down proteins.

  • Successful gastric digestion is vital for the body to absorb essential nutrients.

Surface Forms

gastric digestion singular
gastric digestions plural

Morphology

gastric + digestion

The compound is directly compositional: 'gastric' means 'related to the stomach' and 'digestion' means 'the breakdown of food', so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to digestion occurring in the stomach. This construction is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'digestión gástrica') and therefore readily understandable to a B1 learner despite the more technical specifics about proteins or gastric juice.

Etymology

The noun gastric digestion is the 'digestion' that happens in the 'stomach': gastric means about the stomach and digestion means breaking food down. So the phrase describes how the stomach breaks proteins using stomach acid and enzymes, which is why it means 'the breakdown of proteins in the stomach'.