assimilation

American  

[uh-sim-uh-ley-shuhn] / əˌsɪm əˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of assimilating, or of absorbing information, experiences, etc..

   the need for quick assimilation of the facts.

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

3. the process of adopting the language and culture of a dominant social group or nation, or the state of being socially integrated into the culture of the dominant group in a society.

   assimilation of immigrants into American life.

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

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

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

7. 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 for grandpa.

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assimilation Scientific  

/ ə-sĭm′ə-lā′shən /

1. The conversion of nutrients into living tissue; constructive metabolism.

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assimilation Cultural  

1. 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.”

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Other Word Forms

• antiassimilation
  noun
• nonassimilation
  noun
• reassimilation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of assimilation

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin assimilātiōn- (stem of assimilātiō ). See assimilate, -ion

Explanation

Whether you’re talking about ideas or nutrients, assimilation describes the act of taking something in and absorbing it fully. Assimilation comes from the Latin assimilationem, meaning “likeness" or "similarity.” People of different backgrounds and beliefs undergo assimilation when, through living together, they come to see themselves as part of a larger community, or when a small group is absorbed into, and made part of, a bigger group, such as the Irish immigrants in America in the 19th century. Assimilation can also refer to the absorption of new ideas into existing knowledge.

Example Sentences

In prior work, scientists with Penn State's Center for Advanced Data Assimilation and Predictability Techniques assimilated infrared brightness temperature data from the U.S.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2024

Assimilation was only one of the system’s goals, the report said; the other was “territorial dispossession of Indigenous peoples through the forced removal and relocation of their children.”

From New York Times • May 11, 2022

The legitimacy of Di Battista’s information was confirmed by Richard Cullather, a research scientist at NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 1, 2021

Assimilation can be withering and defeating; the syntax of a foreign tongue can prick and sting.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 26, 2019

Language as a Means of Assimilation and a Basis of National Solidarity.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra