macerate

[ mas-uh-reyt ]

/ ˈmæs əˌreɪt /

verb (used with object), mac·er·at·ed, mac·er·at·ing.

to soften or separate into parts by steeping in a liquid.

to soften or decompose (food) by the action of a solvent.

to cause to grow thin.

verb (used without object), mac·er·at·ed, mac·er·at·ing.

to undergo maceration.

to become thin or emaciated; waste away.

Nearby words

macedonia, macedonian, maceió, macer, maceral, macerate, maceration, macewen's sign, macewen's triangle, macfarlane, macgillicuddy's reeks

Origin of macerate

1540–50; < Latin mācerātus (past participle of mācerāre to make soft, weaken, steep); see -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR macerate

5 shrink, shrivel, fade, wither.

Related forms

mac·er·at·er, mac·er·a·tor, nounmac·er·a·tive, adjectiveun·mac·er·at·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for macerated

A portion of the flesh should be macerated in spirit as directed above.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope|John William Griffith
This cloth is not woven, but is made, like paper, of the macerated fibres of an inner bark spread out and beaten together.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 12|Robert Kerr
The raspings were then passed between rollers, macerated in hot water, and well churned.
The Atlantic Telegraph|William Howard Russell
Plants of a loose texture, that easily give out their Essential Oils, need not be comminuted, or macerated in water with Salt.
Elements of the Theory and Practice of Chymistry, 5th ed.|Pierre Joseph Macquer

The fresh plant is pounded to a pulp and macerated in two parts by weight of alcohol.
New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers|Various

British Dictionary definitions for macerated

macerate

/ (ˈmæsəˌreɪt) /

verb

to soften or separate or be softened or separated as a result of soaking

to break up or cause to break up by soakingmacerated peaches

to become or cause to become thin

Derived Forms

macerater or macerator, nounmacerative, adjectivemaceration, noun

Word Origin for macerate

C16: from Latin mācerāre to soften

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

Medicine definitions for macerated

macerate

[ măs′ə-rāt′ ]

v.

To make soft by soaking or steeping in a liquid.

To separate into constituents by soaking.

n.

A substance prepared or produced by macerating.