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inseminate

[in-sem-uh-neyt]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inseminate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), in·sem·i·nat·ed, in·sem·i·nat·ing.

to inject semen into (the female reproductive tract); impregnate.
to sow; implant seed into.
to sow as seed in something; implant: to inseminate youth with new ideas.

RELATED WORDS

fertilize, implant, seed, promulgate, sow

Origin of inseminate

1615–25; < Latin insēminātus past participle of insēmināre to implant, impregnate, equivalent to in- in-2 + sēminātus (equivalent to sēminā(re) to sow, derivative of sēmen seed (cf. semen) + -tus past participle suffix)
Related formsin·sem·i·na·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for inseminate

Contemporary Examples of inseminate

  • Or, alternatively, we could run away scot-free down Fifth Avenue and pause now and then to inseminate someone.

    The Daily Beast logo
    The Ridiculousness of Father's Day

    P. J. O’Rourke

    June 15, 2014

  • They were given a hand-drawn booklet that taught lesbians how to inseminate themselves using a turkey baster.

    The Daily Beast logo
    Thank God My Moms Are Lesbians

    Ry Russo-Young

    June 21, 2010

British Dictionary definitions for inseminate

inseminate

verb (tr)

to impregnate (a female) with semen
to introduce (ideas or attitudes) into the mind of (a person or group)
Derived Formsinsemination, nouninseminator, noun

Word Origin for inseminate

C17: from Latin insēmināre, from in- ² + sēmināre to sow, from sēmen seed
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 inseminate
v.

1620s, "to cast as seed," from Latin inseminatus, past participle of inseminare "to sow, implant," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + semen (genitive semenis) "seed." Meaning "to impregnate with semen" is attested from 1923. Related: Inseminated; inseminating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for inseminate

inseminate

[ĭn-sĕm′ə-nāt′]

v.

To introduce or inject semen into the reproductive tract of a female.
Related formsin•sem′i•na′tion n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.