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macerate

 - 6 dictionary results

mac⋅er⋅ate

  [mas-uh-reyt] verb, -at⋅ed, -at⋅ing.
Use macerate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to soften or separate into parts by steeping in a liquid.
2. to soften or decompose (food) by the action of a solvent.
3. to cause to grow thin.
–verb (used without object)
4. to undergo maceration.
5. to become thin or emaciated; waste away.
Origin:
1540–50; < L mācerātus (ptp. of mācerāre to make soft, weaken, steep); see -ate 1

Related forms:
mac⋅er⋅at⋅er, mac⋅er⋅a⋅tor, noun
mac⋅er⋅a⋅tive, adjective

Synonyms:
5. shrink, shrivel, fade, wither.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To macerate
mac·er·ate   (mās'ə-rāt')   
v.   mac·er·at·ed, mac·er·at·ing, mac·er·ates

v.   tr.

  1. To make soft by soaking or steeping in a liquid.

  2. To separate into constituents by soaking.

  3. To cause to become lean, usually by starvation; emaciate.

v.   intr.
To become soft or separated into constituents by soaking: "His winemaker allowed the juice and skins of the white grapes to macerate together overnight before pressing" (Gerald Asher).
n.   (-ĭt)
A substance prepared or produced by macerating.

[Latin mācerāre, mācerāt-; see mag- in Indo-European roots.]
mac'er·a'tion n., mac'er·a'tor, mac'er·at'er n.
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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Word Origin & History

macerate 
1491 (implied in maceration), from L. maceratus, pp. of macerare "soften," related to maceria "garden wall," originally "of kneaded clay," from PIE base *mag-/*meg- "to knead" (cf. Gk. magis "kneaded mass, cake," mageus "one who kneads, baker;" O.C.S. mazo "to anoint, smear;" Bret. meza "to knead;" M.Ir. maistir "to churn").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1mac·er·ate
Pronunciation: 'mas-&-"rAt
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: -at·ed; -at·ing
transitive senses
: to soften (as tissue) by steeping or soaking so as to separate into constituent elementsmacerate intransitive senses
: to undergomaceration macerate in hot water for one hour>

Main Entry: 2mac·er·ate
Pronunciation: 'mas-&-r&t
Function: noun
: a product of macerating : something prepared bymaceration macerate> —compare HOMOGENATE
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

macerate mac·er·ate (mās'ə-rāt')
v. mac·er·at·ed, mac·er·at·ing, mac·er·ates

  1. To make soft by soaking or steeping in a liquid.

  2. To separate into constituents by soaking.

n.
A substance prepared or produced by macerating.

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