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Through which organ are nutrients primarily absorbed before they can be assimilated?

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assimilate

American  

[uh-sim-uh-layt, uh-sim-uh-lit, -layt] / əˈsɪm əˌleɪt, əˈsɪm ə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

• assimilates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• assimilated,
  past participle,  past
• assimilating
  present participle

1. to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb.

   He assimilated many new experiences on his European trip.

2. to bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a dominant social group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust.

   to assimilate the new immigrants.

3. Physiology. to convert (food) to substances suitable for incorporation into the body and its tissues.

4. to cause to resemble (usually followed by to orwith ).

5. to compare; liken (usually followed by to orwith ).

6. Phonetics. to modify by assimilation.

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verb (used without object)

• assimilates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• assimilated,
  past participle,  past
• assimilating
  present participle

1. to be or become absorbed.

2. to conform or adjust to the customs, attitudes, etc., of a dominant social group, nation, or the like.

   The new arrivals assimilated easily and quickly.

3. Physiology. (of food) to be converted into the substance of the body; be absorbed into the system.

4. to bear a resemblance (usually followed by to orwith ).

5. Phonetics. to become modified by assimilation.

noun

1. something that is assimilated.

assimilate British  

/ əˈsɪmɪˌleɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to learn (information, a procedure, etc) and understand it thoroughly

2. (tr) to absorb (food) and incorporate it into the body tissues

3. (intr) to become absorbed, incorporated, or learned and understood

4. to bring or come into harmony; adjust or become adjusted

   the new immigrants assimilated easily

5. to become or cause to become similar

6. (usually foll by to) phonetics to change (a consonant) or (of a consonant) to be changed into another under the influence of one adjacent to it

   (n) often assimilates to ŋ before (k), as in ``include''

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• assimilation
  noun
• assimilator
  noun
• reassimilate
  verb
• assimilable
  adjective
• assimilative
  adjective
• nonassimilating
  adjective
• unassimilated
  adjective
• unassimilating
  adjective
• well-assimilated
  adjective
• assimilably
  adverb
• assimilatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• assimilating
  present
• assimilated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• assimilate
  simple
• assimilates
  simple
• have assimilated
  perfect
• has assimilated
  perfect
• am assimilating
  progressive
• are assimilating
  progressive
• is assimilating
  progressive
• have been assimilating
  perfect progressive
• has been assimilating
  perfect progressive

Past

• assimilated
  simple
• had assimilated
  perfect
• was assimilating
  progressive
• were assimilating
  progressive
• had been assimilating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will assimilate
  simple
• will have assimilated
  perfect
• will be assimilating
  progressive
• will have been assimilating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of assimilate

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin assimilātus “likened to, made like” (past participle of assimilāre ), equivalent to as- as- + simil- ( see similar) + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

If you are trying to fit in, you are trying to assimilate. Imported from Latin, assimilate has the word similar within it and in fact, means "to become like something else." If someone moves to another country, he or she will need to assimilate by adapting to and taking in the language, culture and customs of the new place. You can also turn the phrase around to say that a country assimilates immigrants, which means that a place accepts immigrants and allows them to adapt easily. In scientific use, the body assimilates nutrients as a part of digestion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

assimilate assimilates assimilated assimilating

It could be a long season ahead but we cannot expect 10 new players to assimilate immediately.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

In addition to therapists, she said there are plenty of resources online and international centers to help people assimilate.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

The ability to assimilate newcomers has always been an American strength, while falling birthrates will soon make that an even greater American advantage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

"I don't know if my body just doesn't assimilate the supplements as well, but minoxidil is definitely more effective long-term," she said.

From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026

What still shocked him, however, was that the market had been so slow to assimilate material information.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Jacques Bouvier added: 'Because rubisco assimilates the sugars which fuel life on Earth, improving this enzyme is one of the most promising avenues to help combat food insecurity.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024

ChatGPT, Microsoft-controlled AI that grows smarter at mimicking human behavior as it assimilates more knowledge in a massive database, presents the illusion of talking with a friend who wants to do your work for you.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 14, 2023

Comment: New season, same story: A few key returnees, a handful of talented transfers, and a system that assimilates newcomers as well as any in the land.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2021

There it contributes to partial melting of crustal rock, and thus it assimilates much more felsic material.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

NOTE.—The forms ac-, af-, etc., are euphonic variations of ad-, and follow generally the rule that the final consonant of the prefix assimilates to the initial letter of the root.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton

Together the forewords underscore a larger point: Golding is not easily assimilated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The current study shows that those who have assimilated more positive age beliefs often show improvement, Levy said.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026

But immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Latin America, India and Eastern Europe and their more assimilated children won’t have any problems relating to the generational conflicts at the heart of this gentle comedy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

The Freies Jüdisches Lehrhaus in Frankfurt was his attempt to open a way for assimilated Jews to re-enter Judaism without forfeiting the culture that had shaped them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

Much of Greek culture had been assimilated by the Romans, but they had found the concept of discovery indigestible, and it is unlikely that Vergil, trained to think like a Roman, would have responded differently.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

“What are young immigrants assimilating to?” he asks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Like a lot of veterans, he had trouble assimilating into the civilian world.

From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026

America is also better at assimilating immigrants than most countries, and the immigrants we tend to attract generally work very hard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024

So, it's not just about filter bubbles on social media but also about an innate way of assimilating information.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2024

Returning to District 8 or assimilating into another district would be impossible.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• comprehend
• grasp
• incorporate
• understand