释义 |
predigest, v.|priːdɪˈdʒɛst, -daɪ-| [f. pre- A. 1 + digest v.; cf. late L. prædīgestus that has well digested.] trans. To digest beforehand (with quot. 1663 cf. digest v. 8); spec. to treat (food), before its introduction into the body, by a process similar to digestion, in order to render it easily digestible. Also fig. Hence prediˈgested ppl. a.
1663Boyle Usef. Exp. Nat. Philos. ii. App. 334 Little inferiour..to the Salt and Spirit of predigested Blood. 1890Cent. Dict., Predigest, to digest more or less completely by artificial means before introduction into the body. 1902Brit. Med. Jrnl. 17 May 1199/1 In the case of the premature infant that is unable to suck, it has been found to be of advantage to pass predigested food directly into the stomach by means of a tube. 1905Westm. Gaz. 6 May 14/1 Shakespeare..was grappled with before our time, and has been predigested for us. 1922‘K. Mansfield’ Let. 17 July (1928) II. 229 What a relief it is to turn away from these little pre-digested books written by authors who have nothing to say! 1940R. S. Lambert Ariel & all his Quality iv. 114 This paper [sc. The Listener] whose ‘copy’ comes to it predigested from other sources. 1975Country Life 18 Dec. 1734/1 As early as 1789 Thomas Pitt, a Worcester chorister, published his pre-digested Messiah—ten anthems. |