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Migrate

 - 3 dictionary results

mi⋅grate

[mahy-greyt]
–verb (used without object), -grat⋅ed, -grat⋅ing.
1. to go from one country, region, or place to another.
2. to pass periodically from one region or climate to another, as certain birds, fishes, and animals: The birds migrate southward in the winter.
3. to shift, as from one system, mode of operation, or enterprise to another.
4. Physiology. (of a cell, tissue, etc.) to move from one region of the body to another, as in embryonic development.
5. Chemistry.
a. (of ions) to move toward an electrode during electrolysis.
b. (of atoms within a molecule) to change position.
6. (at British universities) to change or transfer from one college to another.

Origin:
1690–1700; < L migrātus (ptp. of migrāre to move from place to place, change position or abode), equiv. to migrā- v. s. + -tus ptp. suffix


mi⋅gra⋅tor, noun


1. move, resettle. 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, esp. periodically; the other terms are generally applied to movements of people.


1. remain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Migrate
mi·grate   (mī'grāt')   
intr.v.   mi·grat·ed, mi·grat·ing, mi·grates
  1. To move from one country or region and settle in another.

  2. To change location periodically, especially by moving seasonally from one region to another.


[Latin migrāre, migrāt-; see mei-1 in Indo-European roots.]
mi'gra'tor n.
Usage Note: Migrate, which is used of people and animals, sometimes implies a lack of permanent settlement, especially as a result of seasonal or periodic movement. Emigrate and immigrate are used only of people and imply a permanent move, generally across a political boundary. Emigrate describes the move relative to the point of departure: After the Nazis came to power in Germany, many scientists emigrated (that is, left Germany). By contrast, immigrate describes the move relative to the destination: The promise of prosperity in the United States encouraged many people to immigrate (that is, move to the United States).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mi·grate
Pronunciation: 'mI-"grAt, mI-'
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Forms: mi·grat·ed;mi·grat·ing
: to move from one place to another: as a : to move from one site to another in a host organism especially as part of a life cyclemigrate within the human body> b of an atom or group : to shift position within a molecule —mi·gra·to·ry /'mI-gr&-"tOr-E, -"tor-/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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