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migrate

[mahy-greyt]
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verb (used without object), mi·grat·ed, mi·grat·ing.

to go from one country, region, or place to another.
to pass periodically from one region or climate to another, as certain birds, fishes, and animals: The birds migrate southward in the winter.
to shift, as from one system, mode of operation, or enterprise to another.
Physiology. (of a cell, tissue, etc.) to move from one region of the body to another, as in embryonic development.
Chemistry.
  1. (of ions) to move toward an electrode during electrolysis.
  2. (of atoms within a molecule) to change position.
(at British universities) to change or transfer from one college to another.

Origin of migrate

1690–1700; < Latin migrātus (past participle of migrāre to move from place to place, change position or abode), equivalent to migrā- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix
Related formsmi·gra·tor, nounin·ter·mi·grate, verb (used without object), in·ter·mi·grat·ed, in·ter·mi·grat·ing.non·mi·grat·ing, adjective, nounre·mi·grate, verb (used without object), re·mi·grat·ed, re·mi·grat·ing.un·mi·grat·ing, adjective
Can be confusedemigrate immigrate migrate (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonym study

1. Migrate, emigrate, immigrate are used of changing one's abode from one country or part of a country to another. To migrate is to make such a move either once or repeatedly: to migrate from Ireland to the United States. To emigrate is to leave a country, usually one's own (and take up residence in another): Each year many people emigrate from Europe. To immigrate is to enter and settle in a country not one's own: There are many inducements to immigrate to South America. Migrate is applied both to people or to animals that move from one region to another, especially periodically; the other terms are generally applied to movements of people.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for migrate

trek, shift, drift, roam, immigrate, emigrate, wander, voyage, transmigrate, leave, range, journey, rove, nomadize

Examples from the Web for migrate

Contemporary Examples of migrate

Historical Examples of migrate

British Dictionary definitions for migrate

migrate

verb (intr)

to go from one region, country, or place of abode to settle in another, esp in a foreign country
(of birds, fishes, etc) to journey between different areas at specific times of the year
Derived Formsmigrator, noun

Word Origin for migrate

C17: from Latin migrāre to change one's abode
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 migrate
v.

1690s, from Latin migratus, past participle of migrare "to move from one place to another" (see migration). Related: Migrated; migrating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper