assimilation

the act or process of assimilating, or of absorbing information, experiences, etc.:

the state or condition of being assimilated, or of being absorbed into something.

the process of adopting the language and culture of a dominant social group or nation, or the state of being socially integrated into the culture of the dominant group in a society:

Physiology. the conversion of absorbed food into the substance of the body.

Botany. the total process of plant nutrition, including photosynthesis and the absorption of raw materials.

Sociology. the merging of cultural traits from previously distinct cultural groups, not involving biological amalgamation.

Phonetics. the act or process by which a sound becomes identical with or similar to a neighboring sound in one or more defining characteristics, as place of articulation, voice or voicelessness, or manner of articulation, as in [gram, -pah] for grandpa. Compare dissimilation ( def 2 ).