dissimilation

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

See more synonyms for dissimilation on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of making or becoming unlike.
Phonetics. the process by which a speech sound becomes different from or less like a neighboring sound, as pilgrim [pil-grim] /ˈpɪl grɪm/ from Latin peregrīnus [per-e-gree-noo s] /ˌpɛr ɛˈgri nʊs/, and purple [pur-puh l] /ˈpɜr pəl/ from Old English purpure [poo r-poo-re] /ˈpʊər pʊ rɛ/, or disappears entirely because of a like sound in another syllable, as in the pronunciation [guhv-uh-ner] /ˈgʌv ə nər/ for governor.Compare assimilation(def 7).
Biology. catabolism.

Origin of dissimilation

First recorded in 1820–30; dis-¹ + (as)similation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for dissimilation

performance, attitude, show, stance, stunt, put-on, pose, phony, simulation, stall, fake, front, affectation, bit, posture, pretense, sham, feigning, dissimilation, chaser

Examples from the Web for dissimilation

Historical Examples of dissimilation

The female name Annabel is a dissimilation of Amabel, whence Mabel.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)
Ernest Weekley
Three of the most important of these are assimilation, dissimilation, and metathesis.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)
Ernest Weekley
Dissimilation is first found in philological works published in the decade 1874-85.
English Past and Present
Richard Chevenix Trench
In the family name Hansom, for Hanson, we have dissimilation of n (see p. 57).
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)
Ernest Weekley
Let us first of all glance at some of the most important phenomena in connection with assimilation and dissimilation.
An Introduction to Psychology
Wilhelm Max Wundt

British Dictionary definitions for dissimilation

dissimilation

noun

the act or an instance of making dissimilar
phonetics the alteration or omission of a consonant as a result of being dissimilated
biology a less common word for catabolism

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dissimilation

1874, noun of action from dissimilate.