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Synonyms

domestication

American  
[duh-mes-ti-key-shuhn] / dəˌmɛs tɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act or process of taming an animal for human use or companionship.

    Shortly after their domestication as companions, dogs were put to use as weapons of war.

  2. the act or process of adapting a plant to cultivation or converting it to household use.

    The domestication of modern wheat from wild grasses occurred in the Fertile Crescent and fueled the development of Indo-European culture.

  3. the act or process of making someone accustomed to household life or affairs.

    When my friend and former business partner not only got married but became pregnant, I saw it as yet another step in her domestication.

  4. the act or process of making a strange or challenging person or thing more familiar and acceptable.

    The author resists domestication of Nietzsche's philosophy, restoring the shock of his style and thought and interpreting him as a revolutionary philosopher.


Etymology

Origin of domestication

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin domesticāt-, stem of domesticāre “to dwell in a house” ( domesticate ( def. ) ) + -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The research also highlights how difficult it is to identify the earliest stages of dog domestication.

From Science Daily

Rather than being limited to hunting or avoidance, these interactions sometimes involved close cooperation and management, hinting at early experiments with domestication that did not lead directly to modern dogs.

From Science Daily

Except for a few deliberate crosses, researchers have found little evidence of genetic mixing after domestication established separate lineages.

From Science Daily

The new evidence shows cat domestication didn't start at the dawn of agriculture - in the Levant.

From BBC

This urban domestication starts with trash, the study's co-author, Raffaela Lesch of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, told Scientific American.

From BBC