assimilate
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Late Latin assimilātus, variant of Latin assimulātus (“made similar, imitated”), perfect passive participle of assimulō, from ad + simulō (“imitate, copy”). Doublet of assemble.
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
assimilate (third-person singular simple present assimilates, present participle assimilating, simple past and past participle assimilated)
- (transitive) To incorporate nutrients into the body, especially after digestion.
- Food is assimilated and converted into organic tissue.
- 1704, Isaac Newton, Opticks
- Hence also it may be that the parts of animals and vegetables preserve their several forms and assimilate their nourishment
- (transitive) To incorporate or absorb (knowledge) into the mind.
- The teacher paused in her lecture to allow the students to assimilate what she had said.
- 1850, Charles Merivale, History of the Romans Under the Empire
- His mind had no power to assimilate the lessons.
- (transitive) To absorb (a person or people) into a community or culture.
- The aliens in the science-fiction film wanted to assimilate human beings into their own race.
- (transitive) To compare to something similar. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
- (transitive) To bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between.
- March 13, 1866, John Bright, The reform bill on the motion for leave to bring in the bill
- to assimilate our law in respect to the law of Scotland
- 1785, William Cowper, The Task
- Fast falls a fleecy shower; the downy flakes / Assimilate all objects.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir M. Hale to this entry?)
- March 13, 1866, John Bright, The reform bill on the motion for leave to bring in the bill
- (intransitive) To become similar.
- (intransitive) To be incorporated or absorbed into something.
Synonyms[edit]
- (incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind): process
- (absorb a group of people into a community): integrate
Translations[edit]
to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
to incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
to absorb a group of people into a community
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to compare something to another similar one
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to bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between
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to become similar
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to be incorporated or absorbed into something
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Noun[edit]
assimilate
- Something that is or has been assimilated.
- 2005, Ep Heuvelink, Tomatoes, →ISBN, page 65:
- At low light intensity, high temperature delays the first flower initiation, as assimilate supply is limiting and high temperature reduces the amount of assimilate available in the plant[.]
- 2012, A. Läuchli, R.L. Bieleski, Inorganic Plant Nutrition, →ISBN, page 83
- the growing root and ectomycorrhizas both act as assimilate sinks
Italian[edit]
Verb[edit]
assimilate
Latin[edit]
Verb[edit]
assimilāte
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English doublets
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English nouns
- English terms with quotations
- Italian non-lemma forms
- Italian verb forms
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Latin verb forms