assimilate
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assimilate¹
- /əˈsɪm.ɪ.leɪt/ UK, US
Where it comes from
First attested in the early 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; Middle English assimilaten (“to become similar; to make like”), from assimilat(e) (“assimilated”, also used as the past participal of assimilaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Late Latin assimilātus, variant of Latin assimulātus (“made similar, imitated”), perfect passive participle of assimulō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ad + simulō (“to imitate, copy”), from similis (“like, similar”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“together, one”). Doublet of assemble.
verb assimilates · assimilating · assimilated
- To incorporate nutrients into the body, especially after digestion. Food is assimilated and converted into organic tissue.
-
To incorporate or absorb (knowledge) into the mind.
The teacher paused in her lecture to allow the students to assimilate what she had said.
Similar: process
-
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.
Similar: integrate
- To liken, compare to something similar. The use of an animal to kill, wound or threaten is assimilated to the use of a weapon.
- 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
- To become similar.
- To be incorporated or absorbed into something.
- To undergo phonetic assimilation. In Arabic, if a noun starts with a sun letter, it assimilates the lam sound of the of article al-, but if it starts with a moon letter, there is no change to the al-.
assimilate²
Where it comes from
First attested in the early 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; from Middle English assimilat(e) (“made like”, used as the participle of assimilaten), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more; the noun was derived from the participle through substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.
adjective more assimilate · most assimilate
- Assimilated.
- Similar, like, the same as.
noun
- Something that is or has been assimilated. 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[.]
- Something that is like, similar to another.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: absorb, ingest, imbibe, take in, digest, digestive, absorptive, swallow, grasp, conflate, partitioning, attract, internalize, integrate, confuse, incorporate
Translations
Every language
verb to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
| हिन्दी | सम्मेलित sammelit |
|---|---|
| Português | assimilar, anabolizar |
| Français | assimiler, absorber |
| Română | asimila |
| Русский | усва́ивать usváivatʹ, усво́ить usvóitʹ |
| עברית | הטמעה |
verb to incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
| Português | assimilar, absorver |
|---|---|
| Français | assimiler, digérer |
| Ελληνικά | αφομοιώνω afomoióno |
verb to absorb a group of people into a community
| Español | asimilar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 同化する dōka-suru |
| Português | assimilar, integrar |
| Français | assimiler |
| Deutsch | assimilieren |
| Italiano | assimilare |
| Ελληνικά | αφομοιώνω afomoióno |
| Русский | ассимили́ровать assimilírovatʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | đồng hóa |
verb to compare something to another similar one
| Français | assimiler |
|---|
Talk about this word "assimilate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/assimilate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. assimilate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/assimilate "assimilate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/assimilate.Cite this
@misc{assimilate_2026,
title = {assimilate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/assimilate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
