Ingestion
Ingestion is the consumption of a substance by an organism. In animals it normally is accomplished by taking in a substance through the mouth into the gastrointestinal tract; such as through eating or drinking. In single-celled organisms ingestion takes place by absorbing a substance through the cell membrane.
Besides nutritional items, may be ingested include medication (where ingestion is termed oral administration), recreational drugs, and substances considered inedible; such as foreign bodies or excrement. Ingestion is a common route taken by pathogenic organisms and poisons entering the body.
Ingestion can also refer to a mechanism picking up something and making it enter an internal hollow of that mechanism, e.g. “a grille was fitted to prevent the pump from ingesting driftwood”.
Ingestion (noun)
The action of ingesting, or consuming something orally, whether it be food, drink, medicine, or other substance. It is usually referred to as the first step of digestion.
Egestion (noun)
The act or result of egesting