assimilation

[uh-sim-uh-ley-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR assimilation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of assimilating, or of absorbing information, experiences, etc.: the need for quick assimilation of the facts.

the state or condition of being assimilated, or of being absorbed into something.

the process of adapting or adjusting to the culture of a group or nation, or the state of being so adapted: assimilation of immigrants into American life.

Physiology. the conversion of absorbed food into the substance of the body.

Botany. the total process of plant nutrition, including photosynthesis and the absorption of raw materials.

Sociology. the merging of cultural traits from previously distinct cultural groups, not involving biological amalgamation.

Phonetics. the act or process by which a sound becomes identical with or similar to a neighboring sound in one or more defining characteristics, as place of articulation, voice or voicelessness, or manner of articulation, as in

[gram-pah] /ˈgræm pɑ/ for grandpa.Compare dissimilation(def 2).

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

Related Words for assimilation

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

Examples from the Web for assimilation

Contemporary Examples of assimilation

Actors can inhabit the person through the sheer force of their assimilation.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?
Clive Irving
December 14, 2014
Today, Turkey in the German imagination has mostly to do with immigration, assimilation, and EU membership.
The 20th-Century Dictator Most Idolized by Hitler
William O’Connor
November 24, 2014
Conway refers to the other important factors as the “three ‘A’s”: air conditioning, assimilation, and airfare.
The Ghost Hotels of the Catskills
Brandon Presser
August 25, 2014
Assimilation was more urgent that it may have been for other immigrants.
How Jews Created American Modernism
Andrew Romano
August 1, 2014
Wonder of Wonders approaches the topic of assimilation from many angles.
The Strange Power of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
Jen Vafidis
October 28, 2013

Historical Examples of assimilation

My proclivities are entirely aristocratic: I have no power of assimilation with the canaille.
Henry Dunbar
M. E. Braddon
He exceeded his capacity of mental digestion and assimilation.
The Aural System
Anonymous
The power of assimilation which a growing nature must possess is astonishing.
David Elginbrod
George MacDonald
Many other considerations helped in this process of assimilation.
The Evolution of the Dragon
G. Elliot Smith
There were therefore no beginnings of any assimilation between them and the latter.
Impressions of South Africa
James Bryce

Word Origin and History for assimilation

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.

assimilation in Medicine

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.

assimilation in Science

assimilation

[ə-sĭm′ə-lā′shən]

The conversion of nutrients into living tissue; constructive metabolism.

assimilation in Culture

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.”