maceration

[ mas-uh-rey-shuh n ]

/ ˌmæs əˈreɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR maceration ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of macerating.

a process in winemaking in which the crushed grape skins are left in the juice until they have imparted the desired color or the proper amount of tannins and aroma.

RELATED WORDS

susurration, undertone

Nearby words

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

Origin of maceration

1485–95; < Latin mācerātiōn-, stem of mācerātiō; see macerate, -ion

Related formsself-mac·er·a·tion, noun

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

Examples from the Web for maceration

There are two ways to clean the skeletons of large mammals: by boiling the bones, and by maceration.
Taxidermy and Zoological Collecting|William T. Hornaday
Dopplerite, dop′ler-īt, n. a substance derived from the maceration of peat.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
Maceration or otherwise bruising the tissue, after the enzyme has been destroyed, facilitates the extraction.
The Chemistry of Plant Life|Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
They are treated by maceration and enfleurage, chiefly the latter.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 643, April 28, 1888|Various

Repeat this maceration, &c. twice upon the same portion of madder.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

Word Origin and History for maceration

maceration

late 15c., from Latin macerationem (nominative maceratio), noun of action from past participle stem of macerare (see macerate).

Medicine definitions for maceration

maceration

[ măs′ə-rā′shən ]

n.

Softening by soaking in a liquid.

Softening of the tissues after death by autolysis, especially of a stillborn fetus.