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saturate

 - 6 dictionary results

sat⋅u⋅rate

  [v. sach-uh-reyt; adj., n. sach-er-it, -uh-reyt] verb, -rat⋅ed, -rat⋅ing, adjective, noun
Use saturate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to cause (a substance) to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance, through solution, chemical combination, or the like.
2. to charge to the utmost, as with magnetism.
3. to soak, impregnate, or imbue thoroughly or completely: to saturate a sponge with water; a town saturated with charm.
4. to destroy (a target) completely with bombs and missiles.
5. to send so many planes over (a target area) that the defensive electronic tracking equipment becomes ineffective.
6. to furnish (a market) with goods to its full purchasing capacity.
–verb (used without object)
7. to become saturated.
–adjective
8. saturated.
–noun
9. a saturated fat or fatty acid.
Origin:
1530–40; < L saturātus (ptp. of saturāre to fill), equiv. to satur- full, well-fed (see sad ) + -ātus -ate 1

Synonyms:
3. See wet.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To saturate
sat·u·rate   (sāch'ə-rāt')   
tr.v.   sat·u·rat·ed, sat·u·rat·ing, sat·u·rates

  1. To imbue or impregnate thoroughly: "The recollection was saturated with sunshine" (Vladimir Nabokov). See Synonyms at charge.

  2. To soak, fill, or load to capacity.

  3. Chemistry To cause (a substance) to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance.

adj.   (-rĭt)
Saturated.

[Latin saturāre, saturāt-, to fill, from satur, sated; see sā- in Indo-European roots.]
sat'u·ra·ble (sāch'ər-ə-bəl) adj., sat'u·ra'tor 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

saturate  (v.)
1538, "to satisfy, satiate," from L. saturatus, pp. of saturare "to fill full, sate, drench," from satur "sated, full," from PIE base *sa- "to satisfy" (see sad). Meaning "soak thoroughly" first recorded 1756. Marketing sense first recorded 1958. Saturation bombing first recorded 1942, in ref. to Allied air raid on Cologne.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1sat·u·rate
Pronunciation: 'sach-&-"rAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -rat·ed;-rat·ing
1 : to treat, furnish, or charge with something to the point where no more can be absorbed, dissolved, or retained saturated with salt>saturated with an antiseptic solution>
2 : to cause to combine till there is no further tendency to combine

Main Entry: 2sat·u·rate
Pronunciation: -r&t
Function: noun
: a saturated chemical compound
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

saturate sat·u·rate (sāch'ə-rāt')
v. sat·u·rat·ed, sat·u·rat·ing, sat·u·rates
Abbr. sat.

  1. To imbue or impregnate thoroughly.

  2. To soak, fill, or load to capacity.

  3. To cause a substance to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance.

  4. To satisfy all the chemical affinities of a substance; neutralize.

  5. To dissolve a substance up to that concentration beyond which the addition of more results in a second phase.

sat'u·ra·ble (sāch'ər-ə-bəl) adj.
sat'u·ra'tor n.

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