domesticate

[ duh-mes-ti-keyt ]

/ dəˈmɛs tɪˌkeɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR domesticate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), do·mes·ti·cat·ed, do·mes·ti·cat·ing.

to convert (animals, plants, etc.) to domestic uses; tame.

to tame (an animal), especially by generations of breeding, to live in close association with human beings as a pet or work animal and usually creating a dependency so that the animal loses its ability to live in the wild.

to adapt (a plant) so as to be cultivated by and beneficial to human beings.

to accustom to household life or affairs.

to take (something foreign, unfamiliar, etc.) for one's own use or purposes; adopt.

to make more ordinary, familiar, acceptable, or the like: to domesticate radical ideas.

verb (used without object), do·mes·ti·cat·ed, do·mes·ti·cat·ing.

to be domestic.

Nearby words

Origin of domesticate

1635–45; < Medieval Latin domesticātus (past participle of domesticāre), equivalent to domestic- domestic + -ātus -ate¹

Related forms

do·mes·ti·ca·ble

[duh-mes-ti-kuh-buh l] /dəˈmɛs tɪ kə bəl/, adjectivedo·mes·ti·ca·tion, noundo·mes·ti·ca·tive, adjectivedo·mes·ti·ca·tor, noun

non·do·mes·ti·cat·ed, adjectivenon·do·mes·ti·cat·ing, adjectiveo·ver·do·mes·ti·cate, verb (used with object), o·ver·do·mes·ti·cat·ed, o·ver·do·mes·ti·cat·ing.un·do·mes·ti·ca·ble, adjectiveun·do·mes·ti·cat·ed, adjectivewell-do·mes·ti·cat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for domestication

What I see happening, with writers like Charlaine Harris and Stephenie Meyer, is the domestication of the vampire.
Anne Rice on Sparkly Vampires, ‘Twilight,’ ‘True Blood,’ and Werewolves|Marlow Stern|November 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
There are considerable psychic changes consequent on domestication and civilization; but these are due to environment.
The Color Line|William Benjamin Smith
The elephant is found from sea to sea, but he has not proved to be so amenable to domestication as his Asian brother.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume XIV|John Lord
It will be shown when the different kinds of aquatic birds are described that each has its special place and use in domestication.
Our Domestic Birds|John H. Robinson

We have some historical evidence with respect to the period and progress of the domestication of the duck.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I.|Charles Darwin
(domestication of cattle and use of milk as food connected with moon-cult).
Introduction to the History of Religions|Crawford Howell Toy

British Dictionary definitions for domestication

domesticate

sometimes US domesticize (dəˈmɛstɪˌsaɪz)

/ (dəˈmɛstɪˌkeɪt) /

verb (tr)

to bring or keep (wild animals or plants) under control or cultivation

to accustom to home life

to adapt to an environmentto domesticate foreign trees

Derived Formsdomesticable, adjectivedomestication, noundomesticative, adjectivedomesticator, noun

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 domestication

domestication

1774; see domestic + -ation.

domesticate

1630s, of animals; 1741, of persons, "to cause to be attached to home and family;" from Medieval Latin domesticatus, past participle of domesticare "to tame," literally "to dwell in a house," from domesticus (see domestic). Related: Domesticated; domesticating.