domestication
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
An expansive exhibition focuses on the Japanese warriors—from their rise as masters of warfare to their domestication as part of the civil service and landed gentry—as well as their long cultural afterlife.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
The point is also made that the evolution of dogs and their domestication tens of thousands of years ago may mean that they have, or have developed, an inclination toward language.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026
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 • Dec. 29, 2025
The new evidence shows cat domestication didn't start at the dawn of agriculture - in the Levant.
From BBC • Nov. 27, 2025
Even for valuable crops, the times of domestication vary greatly: for instance, peas were domesticated by 8000 B.C., olives around 4000 B.C., strawberries not until the Middle Ages, and pecans not until 1846.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
