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impregnate

[ verb im-preg-neyt, im-preg-neyt; adjective im-preg-nit, -neyt ]
/ verb ɪmˈprɛg neɪt, ˈɪm prɛgˌneɪt; adjective ɪmˈprɛg nɪt, -neɪt /
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See synonyms for: impregnate / impregnated / impregnation on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), im·preg·nat·ed, im·preg·nat·ing.
to make pregnant; cause to be with child or young.
to fertilize.
to cause to be permeated or saturated with a substance: To relieve cold and flu symptoms, impregnate a handkerchief with oils of eucalyptus and mint and inhale its scent.
to fill the interstices, openings, or cells of (a fine network, or the like) with a substance: The stainless steel housing contains a ceramic honeycomb impregnated with platinum, rhodium, and palladium.
to infuse or imbue with some quality or element: Picasso’s later paintings are impregnated with a certain melancholy.The air was pleasantly impregnated with the odor of pines.
adjective
impregnated.
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Origin of impregnate

First recorded in 1535–45; from Late Latin impraegnātus, past participle of impraegnāre “to fertilize, impregnate,” equivalent to im- im-1 + praegn-, stem of praegnās, variant of praegnāns (stem praegnant-) “pregnant, with child” + -ātus past participle suffix; see origin at pregnant1, -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM impregnate

Words nearby impregnate

imprecate, imprecation, imprecise, impredicative, impregnable, impregnate, impregnated, impresa, impresario, imprescriptible, impress
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to impregnate

drench, fertilize, inseminate, permeate, saturate, suffuse, charge, conceive, fecundate, imbrue, implant, inoculate, leaven, overflow, percolate, pervade, procreate, produce, reproduce, seethe

How to use impregnate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for impregnate

impregnate
verb (ˈɪmprɛɡˌneɪt) (tr)
to saturate, soak, or infuseto impregnate a cloth with detergent
to imbue or permeate; pervade
to cause to conceive; make pregnant
to fertilize (an ovum)
to make (land, soil, etc) fruitful
adjective (ɪmˈprɛɡnɪt, -ˌneɪt)
pregnant or fertilized

Derived forms of impregnate

impregnation, nounimpregnator, noun

Word Origin for impregnate

C17: from Late Latin impraegnāre to make pregnant, from Latin im- in- ² + praegnans pregnant
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
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