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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

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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

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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

They added they do not believe it is related to Truth and Reconciliation day, a national holiday that honours victims and survivors of Canada's residential schools, which sought to forcefully assimilate indigenous children.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Katie: Strong copywriting from people who can assimilate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 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

"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

People are willing to accept you if they see you as an outsider trying to assimilate into their world.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

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

Hazel-May, however, assimilates just fine, and Nella begins to feel increasingly on the outs with those around her.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2023

He has so far taken all the snaps with the first team, with mixed results, as he assimilates to new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s system.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 2, 2023

And the more an immigrant assimilates, the more intensely they might feel the grief of “losing familiar social structures, cultural values and self-identity,” as Dr. Eisenbruch described it.

From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2022

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

They may have assimilated all too well to the culture of academia and big cities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 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

Tom, whose family fled Nazi Germany when he was a boy, is a thoroughly assimilated, tennis-obsessed Englishman who brings his own more conciliatory perspective to the discussion as a British Jew.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

“I think that that bump up in the last 10 years still hasn’t been properly assimilated into the public conversation,” said Nathan Wilmers, a professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026

According to these authors, the delayed but lethal effect on the young birds follows from storage of dieldrin in the yolk of the egg, from which it is gradually assimilated during incubation and after hatching.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

“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

They, too, shifted from plant-based to fungal-based food webs as the main source of their energy, assimilating more than 50 percent brown carbon under warming conditions, compared to 26 percent at control sites.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 3, 2024

When people, plants, and animals die, they stop assimilating C14.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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