impregnate

American  

[im-preg-neyt, im-preg-neyt, im-preg-nit, -neyt] / ɪmˈprɛg neɪt, ˈɪm prɛgˌneɪt, ɪmˈprɛg nɪt, -neɪt /

verb (used with object)

impregnated, impregnating

1. to make pregnant; cause to be with child or young.

2. to fertilize.

3. to cause to be permeated or saturated with a substance.

   To relieve cold and flu symptoms, impregnate a handkerchief with oils of eucalyptus and mint and inhale its scent.

   Synonyms:

   penetrate , infuse , permeate

4. to fill the interstices, openings, or cells of (a fine network, or the like) with a substance.

   The stainless steel housing contains a ceramic honeycomb impregnated with platinum, rhodium, and palladium.

5. to infuse or imbue with some quality or element.

   Picasso’s later paintings are impregnated with a certain melancholy.

   The air was pleasantly impregnated with the odor of pines.

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adjective

1. impregnated.

impregnate British  

verb

1. to saturate, soak, or infuse

   to impregnate a cloth with detergent

2. to imbue or permeate; pervade

3. to cause to conceive; make pregnant

4. to fertilize (an ovum)

5. to make (land, soil, etc) fruitful

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adjective

1. pregnant or fertilized

Other Word Forms

• impregnation noun
• impregnator noun
• impregnatory adjective
• reimpregnate verb (used with object)
• reimpregnation noun
• self-impregnating adjective
• self-impregnation noun
• self-impregnator noun

Etymology

Origin of impregnate

First recorded in 1535–45; from Late Latin impraegnātus, past participle of impraegnāre “to fertilize, impregnate,” equivalent to im- im- ¹ ( def. ) + praegn-, stem of praegnās, variant of praegnāns (stem praegnant-) “pregnant, with child” + -ātus past participle suffix; pregnant ¹ ( def. ), -ate ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The medical profession successfully argued for an exemption from the wet wipe ban, arguing that non-plastic wipes absorb too much of the detergents and disinfectants impregnated in them, with potential consequences for patient safety.

From BBC

At age 12, she said, she was impregnated by a staff member at MacLaren Children’s Center — an assault that has haunted her since the 1980s.

From Los Angeles Times

So in January 2022, when veterinary scans showed 25% of his impregnated ewes were no longer carrying lambs, he began to investigate.

From BBC

Musk reached out to random women he's never met, and asked to impregnate them.

From Salon

Online men fetishize subjugating women and making them like it through their “trad wife” fantasies, while Trump-world heroes like Twitter CEO Elon Musk joke about impregnating liberal women like pop star Taylor Swift.

From Salon

Related Words

• drench
• fertilize
• inseminate
• permeate
• saturate
• suffuse