assimilate

A1S1S1I1M3I1L1A1T1E1
UK, US/əˈsɪm.ɪ.leɪt/

verb

To incorporate nutrients into the body, especially after digestion.

“Food is assimilated and converted into organic tissue.”

Similar
processintegrateabsorbingesttake inimbibe
Opposite
dissimilate
OriginMiddle English assimilaten ← Late Latin assimilātus ← Latin assimulātus →
Less commonScrabble 12
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

assimilate1

verbassimilate (third-person singular simple present assimilates, present participle assimilating, simple past and past participle assimilated)

present singular third person assimilates · participle present assimilating · participle past assimilated · past assimilated

  1. transitiveTo incorporate nutrients into the body, especially after digestion.

    Food is assimilated and converted into organic tissue.

    2 more examples

    Hence also it may be, that the Parts of Animals and Vegetables preserve their several Forms, and assimilate their Nourishment; [...]

    a. 1728 (date written), Isaac Newton, “[The Third Book of Opticks.] ”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colours of Light. […], 4th edition, London: […] William Innys […], published 1730, →OCLC, page 362

    In the living state, the body is observed to receive aliment; to assimilate a part; to evacuate what is redundant or useless; [...]

    1822, John Barclay, chapter I, in An Inquiry Into the Opinions, Ancient and Modern, Concerning Life and Organization, Edinburgh; London: Bell & Bradfute; Waugh & Innes; G. & W. B. Whittaker, section I, page 1
  2. transitiveTo incorporate or absorb (knowledge) into the mind.

    The teacher paused in her lecture to allow the students to assimilate what she had said.

    2 more examples

    His mind had no power to assimilate the lessons.

    1850, Charles Merivale, History of the Romans Under the Empire

    A good modern work on this subject is needed, preferably by someone who understands both the Bible and human sexuality, but Sex and the Bible isn't it. I'm not sure what went wrong. Larue has read the literature, but seems not to have assimilated it.

    1981 December 1, Duncan Mitchel, “The God That Dare Not Speak Its Name”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 20, page 8

    Synonyms: process

  3. transitiveTo absorb (a person or people) into a community or culture.

    The aliens in the science-fiction film wanted to assimilate human beings into their own race.

    Synonyms: integrate

  4. raretransitiveTo liken, compare to something similar.

    The use of an animal to kill, wound or threaten is assimilated to the use of a weapon.

    2005 October 12, J. R. Spencer, transl., Penal Code [of France], Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, retrieved 19 Jan 2020, page 25
  5. transitiveTo bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between.

    March 13, 1866, John Bright, The reform bill on the motion for leave to bring in the bill to assimilate our law in respect to the law of Scotland

    2 more examples

    Fast falls a fleecy shower; the downy flakes / Assimilate all objects.

    1782–1785, William Cowper, “(please specify the page)”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], →OCLC

    [I]t [the seed of life] doth, by degrees, aſſimilate the whole inward Man to this living Principle, and conforms the Life unto it.

    1676, Matthew Hale, “Meditations upon the Lord’s Prayer”, in Contemplations Moral and Divine. The Second Part, London: […] William Shrewsbury […], and Tho[mas] Leigh and D[aniel] Midwinter, […], published 1699, →OCLC, page 478
  6. intransitiveTo become similar.
  7. intransitiveTo be incorporated or absorbed into something.
  8. ambitransitivehuman sciencesTo undergo phonetic assimilation.

    In Arabic, if a noun starts with a sun letter, it assimilates the lam sound of the of article al-, but if it starts with a moon letter, there is no change to the al-.

    2023 January 5, Belen Edwards, “High Valyrian from 'Game of Thrones' has four genders. Here's why.”, in Mashable, archived from the original on 21 Mar 2023

assimilate2

adjectiveassimilate (comparative more assimilate, superlative most assimilate)

comparative more assimilate · superlative most assimilate

  1. obsoleteAssimilated.
  2. obsoleteSimilar, like, the same as.
noun
  1. obsoleteSomething that is or has been assimilated.

    the growing root and ectomycorrhizas both act as assimilate sinks

    2012, A. Läuchli, R.L. Bieleski, Inorganic Plant Nutrition, →ISBN, page 83
    1 more example

    At low light intensity, high temperature delays the first flower initiation, as assimilate supply is limiting and high temperature reduces the amount of assimilate available in the plant[.]

    2005, Ep Heuvelink, Tomatoes, →ISBN, page 65
  2. obsoleteSomething that is like, similar to another.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo incorporate or absorb (knowledge) into the mind.

Similar
process

verbTo absorb (a person or people) into a community or culture.

Similar
integrate

More synonyms by meaning

verbtake up mentally

Similar
absorbingesttake in
Broader
learnlarnacquire

verbbecome similar to one's environment

Opposite
dissimilate
Broader
adjustconformadapt

verbmake similar

Opposite
dissimilate
Broader
changealtermodify

verbtake (gas, light or heat) into a solution

Similar
imbibe
Broader
absorb

verbbecome similar in sound

Opposite
dissimilate
Broader
change
Also see
absorbgo nativeimbibeincorporateingestintegrateswallowtake in

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

assimilate · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sem-“together, one”
  2. Latinassimulātus“made similar, imitated”
  3. Late Latinassimilātus
  4. Middle Englishassimilaten“to become similar; to make like”
  5. Englishassimilate

First attested in the early 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; Middle English assimilaten (“to become similar; to make like”), from assimilat(e) (“assimilated”, also used as the past participal of assimilaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Late Latin assimilātus, variant of Latin assimulātus (“made similar, imitated”), perfect passive participle of assimulō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ad + simulō (“to imitate, copy”), from similis (“like, similar”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“together, one”). Doublet of assemble.

More words from Middle English, Late Latin, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

assimilate · adjective, noun

  1. Middle Englishassimilat(e)“made like”
  2. Englishassimilate

First attested in the early 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; from Middle English assimilat(e) (“made like”, used as the participle of assimilaten), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more; the noun was derived from the participle through substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans assimileer
  • assimileerto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
Bengali সম্মেলিত
  • সম্মেলিত (śommelito)to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
Bulgarian усвоявам, усвоявам
  • усвоявам (usvojavam)to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • усвоявам (usvojavam)to incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • асимилирам (asimiliram)to absorb a group of people into a community
  • наподобявам (napodobjavam)to compare something to another similar one
Catalan assimilar, assimilar
  • assimilarto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • assimilarto absorb a group of people into a community
  • assimilar-seto compare something to another similar one
Dutch assimileren, integreren
  • assimilerento absorb a group of people into a community
  • integrerento absorb a group of people into a community
  • vergelijkento compare something to another similar one
Esperanto asimili
  • asimilito absorb a group of people into a community
Finnish imeyttää, omaksua
  • imeyttääto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • omaksuato incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • sisäistääto incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • sulauttaato absorb a group of people into a community
  • rinnastaato compare something to another similar one
French assimiler, absorber
  • assimilerto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • absorberto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • assimilerto incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • digérerto incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • assimilerto absorb a group of people into a community
  • assimilerto compare something to another similar one
German assimilieren
  • assimilierento absorb a group of people into a community
Greek αφομοιώνω, αφομοιώνω
  • αφομοιώνω (afomoióno)to incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • αφομοιώνω (afomoióno)to absorb a group of people into a community
Hebrew הטמעה
  • הטמעהto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
Hindi सम्मेलित
  • सम्मेलित (sammelit)to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
Hungarian asszimilál, hasonít
  • asszimilálto absorb a group of people into a community
  • hasonítto bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between
  • hasonulto become similar
  • asszimilálódikto be incorporated or absorbed into something
Indonesian asimilasi
  • asimilasito absorb a group of people into a community
Italian assimilare
  • assimilareto absorb a group of people into a community
Japanese 同化する
  • 同化する (dōka-suru)to absorb a group of people into a community
Polish asymilować, zasymilować
  • asymilowaćto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • zasymilowaćto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • przyswajaćto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • przyswoićto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • asymilowaćto incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • zasymilowaćto incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • przejmowaćto incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • przejąćto incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • asymilowaćto absorb a group of people into a community
  • zasymilowaćto absorb a group of people into a community
  • asymilowaćto bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between
  • zasymilowaćto bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between
  • asymilatTranslations
Portuguese assimilar, anabolizar
  • assimilarto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • anabolizarto incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • assimilarto incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • absorverto incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • assimilarto absorb a group of people into a community
  • integrarto absorb a group of people into a community
Romanian asimila
  • asimilato incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
Russian усва́ивать, усво́ить
  • усва́ивать (usváivatʹ)to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • усво́ить (usvóitʹ)to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • ассимили́ровать (assimilírovatʹ)to absorb a group of people into a community
Spanish asimilar
  • asimilarto absorb a group of people into a community
Turkish asimile etmek
  • asimile etmekto absorb a group of people into a community
Ukrainian асимілюва́ти, асимільо́вувати
  • асимілюва́ти (asymiljuváty)to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • асимільо́вувати (asymilʹóvuvaty)to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • засво́ювати (zasvójuvaty)to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • засво́їти (zasvójity)to incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion
  • засво́ювати (zasvójuvaty)to incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • засво́їти (zasvójity)to incorporate or absorb knowledge into the mind
  • асимілюва́ти (asymiljuváty)to absorb a group of people into a community
  • асимільо́вувати (asymilʹóvuvaty)to absorb a group of people into a community
  • уподі́бнювати (upodíbnjuvaty)to compare something to another similar one
  • уподі́бнити (upodíbnyty)to compare something to another similar one
  • уподі́бнювати (upodíbnjuvaty)to bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between
  • уподі́бнити (upodíbnyty)to bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between
Vietnamese đồng hóa
  • đồng hóato absorb a group of people into a community
Cite this entry
APA

assimilate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assimilate

MLA

“assimilate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assimilate. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “assimilate,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assimilate.

Source: assimilate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.