An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/verdauen

by Friedrich Kluge

verdauen, verb, ‘to digest,’ from the equivalent Middle High German verdöuwen (verdöun), verdouwen, with the simple forms döuwen, douwen, Old High German douwen (dęwen), firdouwen, ‘to digest’; compare Dutch verduwen. The assumed Teutonic þaujan, ‘to digest,’ is probably connected with tauen (literally ‘to dissolve’). —