Link Centre Dictionary

macerate

ma·ce·rate

UK/ˈmæs.ə.ɹɪt/ uncommon archaic obsolete

verb

1.

separate into constituents by soaking

2.

become soft or separate and disintegrate as a result of excessive soaking

  • “the tissue macerated in the water”
3.

soften, usually by steeping in liquid, and cause to disintegrate as a result

  • “macerate peaches”
  • “the gizzards macerates the food in the digestive system”
4.

cause to grow thin or weak

  • “The treatment emaciated him”
Synonyms

Origin

First attested in 1534; borrowed from Latin mācerātus, perfect passive participle of mācerō (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), from Proto-Indo-European *mag-, *mak- (“to knead”), whence make. Cognate with French macérer.

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Word family

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Causes

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.