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assimilation

[ uh-sim-uh-ley-shuh n ]
/ əˌsɪm əˈleɪ ʃən /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR assimilation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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Which Words Did English Take From Other Languages?English—is one of the most incredible, flavorfully-complex melting pots of linguistic ingredients from other countries. These linguistic ingredients are called loanwords that have been borrowed and incorporated into English. The loanwords are oftentimes so common now, the foreign flavor has been completely lost.
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RELATED WORDS

digestion, consumption, ingestion, inhalation, catabolism, anabolism, metabolism, orientation, conformity, adaptation, acclimatization, acculturation, familiarization

Nearby words

  1. assignee,
  2. assignment,
  3. assignor,
  4. assimilable,
  5. assimilate,
  6. assimilationism,
  7. assimilative,
  8. assiniboin,
  9. assiniboine,
  10. assiniboine, mount

Origin of assimilation

First recorded in 1595–1605, assimilation is from the Latin word assimilātiōn- (stem of assimilātiō). See assimilate, -ion
Related formsan·ti·as·sim·i·la·tion, noun, adjectivenon·as·sim·i·la·tion, nounre·as·sim·i·la·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for assimilation

Word Origin and History for assimilation

assimilation

n.

early 15c., "act of assimilating," from Old French assimilacion, from Latin assimilationem (nominative assimilatio) "likeness, similarity," noun of action from past participle stem of assimilare (see assimilate). Psychological sense is from 1855.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for assimilation

assimilation

[ ə-sĭm′ə-lā′shən ]

n.

The incorporation of digested substances from food into the tissues of an organism.
The amalgamation and modification of newly perceived information and experiences into the existing cognitive structure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for assimilation

assimilation

[ ə-sĭm′ə-lā′shən ]

The conversion of nutrients into living tissue; constructive metabolism.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for assimilation

assimilation

The process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group: “Waves of immigrants have been assimilated into the American culture.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.