aer·ate

[air-eyt, ey-uh-reyt]
verb (used with object), aer·at·ed, aer·at·ing.
1.
to expose to the action or effect of air or to cause air to circulate through: to aerate milk in order to remove odors.
2.
to change or treat with air or a gas, especially with carbon dioxide.
3.
Physiology. to expose (a medium or tissue) to air, as in the oxygenation of the blood in respiration.
Origin:
1785–95; < Latin āer- aer- + -ate1

Related forms
aer·a·tion, noun
non·aer·at·ed, adjective
non·aer·at·ing, adjective
sub·aer·ate, verb (used with object), sub·aer·at·ed, sub·aer·at·ing.
sub·aer·a·tion, noun
un·aer·at·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To aerate
00:10
Aerate is always a great word to know.
So is sensitivity. Does it mean:
the ability of an organism or part of an organism to react to stimuli; degree of susceptibility to stimulation
physically fitted to live; a fetus having reached such a stage of development as to be capable of living, under normal conditions, outside the uterus
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Collins
World English Dictionary
aerate (ˈɛəreɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
1.  to charge (a liquid) with a gas, esp carbon dioxide, as in the manufacture of effervescent drink
2.  to expose to the action or circulation of the air, so as to purify
 
aer'ation
 
—n
 
'aerator
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

aerate
1794, from L. ær (gen. æris) "air," from Gk. aer (see air (1)) + verbal suffix -ate (2).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
aerate   (âr'āt)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. To add a gas, such as carbon dioxide, to a liquid.

  2. To supply with oxygen. Blood is aerated in the alveoli of the lungs.

  3. To supply with air or expose to the circulation of air.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
It should be turned every two weeks or so to re-aerate it.
Mixing in coarse materials, such as leaves, also helps to aerate compost piles.
When you aerate your lawn, you give the water somewhere to go besides down the
  storm drain.
To feed the microbes, plants must aerate sewage sludge with costly,
  power-hogging equipment.
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