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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 /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR impregnate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), im·preg·nat·ed, im·preg·nat·ing.

to make pregnant; get with child or young.
to fertilize.
to cause to be infused or permeated throughout, as with a substance; saturate: to impregnate a handkerchief with cheap perfume.
to fill interstices with a substance.
to furnish with some actuating or modifying element infused or introduced; imbue, infect; tincture.

adjective

impregnated.

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Origin of impregnate

1535–45; < Late Latin impraegnātus past participle of impraegnāre to fertilize, impregnate, equivalent to im- im-1 + praegn- (see pregnant1) + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM impregnate

Words nearby impregnate

imprecate, imprecation, imprecise, impredicative, impregnable, impregnate, impresa, impresario, imprescriptible, impress, impressible
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to impregnation

intake, digestion, consumption, saturation, penetration, retention, propagation, breeding, procreation, implantation, pollination, overload, congestion, concentration, origin, fertilization, fusion, ingestion, osmosis, reception

Example sentences from the Web for impregnation

British Dictionary definitions for impregnation

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

Medical definitions for impregnation

impregnate
[ ĭm-prĕg′nāt ]

v.

To make pregnant; to cause to conceive; inseminate.
To fertilize an ovum.
To fill throughout; saturate.

Other words from impregnate

im′preg•na′tion n.im•preg′na′tor n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.