assimilation

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noun

the act or process of assimilating; state or condition of being assimilated.

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 ).

Origin:
1595–1605; < Latin assimilātiōn- (stem of assimilātiō). See assimilate, -ion

Related forms

an·ti·as·sim·i·la·tion, noun, adjective

non·as·sim·i·la·tion, noun

re·as·sim·i·la·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To assimilation

00:10

Assimilation is always a great word to know.

So is action. Does it mean:

a change in organs, tissues, or cells leading to performance of a function like muscular contraction

the ability of an organism or part of an organism to react to stimuli; degree of susceptibility to stimulation

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Collins

World English Dictionary

assimilate (əˈsɪmɪˌleɪt)

—vb (usually foll by into or with) (usually foll by to or with)
1.	(tr) to learn (information, a procedure, etc) and understand it thoroughly
2.	(tr) to absorb (food) and incorporate it into the body tissues
3.	(intr) to become absorbed, incorporated, or learned and understood
4.	to bring or come into harmony; adjust or become adjusted: the new immigrants assimilated easily
5.	to become or cause to become similar
6.	(usually foll by to) phonetics to change (a consonant) or (of a consonant) to be changed into another under the influence of one adjacent to it: (n) often assimilates to before (k), as in ``include''

[C15: from Latin assimilāre to make one thing like another, from similis like, similar]

as'similable

—*adj*

as'similably

—*adv*

assimi'lation

—n

as'similative

—*adj*

as'similatory

—*adj*

as'similator

—n

as'similatively

—*adv*

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

assimilation

c.1600, "act of assimilating," from L. assimilationem "likeness, similarity," noun of action from assimilatus, pp. of assimilare (see assimilate). Psychological sense is from 1855.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

assimilation as·sim·i·la·tion (ə-sĭm'ə-lā'shən)
n.

The incorporation of digested substances from food into the tissues of an organism.
The amalgamation and modification of newly perceived information and experiences into the existing cognitive structure.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

assimilation

(ə-sĭm'ə-lā'shən) Pronunciation Key
The conversion of nutrients into living tissue; constructive metabolism.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

assimilation definition

The process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group: “Waves of immigrants have been assimilated into the American culture.”

Example sentences

He was a leader in the movement for cultural assimilation.

His influence and works aided the assimilation.

For him, and for a generation of immigrants like him, an automobile was a

symbol of assimilation and success.

The immigrants' story was told not through their own cultures but through their

assimilation into the mainstream.

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Matching Quote

"The dramatic art would appear to be rather a feminine art; it contains in itself all the artifices which belong to the province of woman: the desire to please, facility to express emotions and hide defects, and the faculty of assimilation which is the real essence of woman."

-Sarah Bernhardt