Macerate is a verb meaning to cause to waste away, to soften or separate into parts by or as if by steeping, or to soften and wear away.
Macerate es un verbo que significa hacer que se consuma, ablandar o separar en partes por o como por remojo, o ablandar y desgastar.
| Front | macerate \MASS-uh-rayt\ |
|---|---|
| Back | verb 1. To cause to waste away by or as if by excessive fasting. 2. To cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid; broadly: steep, soak. 3. To soften and wear away especially as a result of being wetted or steeped. ["Macerate" is derived from the Latin verb "macerare," meaning "to soften" or "to steep." That meaning was borrowed into English in 1563. However, the first English use of "macerate" refers to the wasting away of flesh especially by fasting. That use manifested itself in 1547. A few other manifestations sprouted thereafter from the word's figurative branch (e.g., Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) once wrote of "a city so macerated with expectation"); however, those extensions wilted in time. Today, the "steeping" and "soaking" senses of "macerate" saturate culinary articles (as in "macerating fruit in liquor") as well as other writings (scientific ones, for instance: "the food is macerated in the gizzard" or "the wood is macerated in the solution").] "The plastic rubbish has been macerated by marine forces and is composed of small particles that float just below the surface, killing fish that mistake it for food." - John Maxwell; Boojum Hunting in the Caribbean; Jamaica Observer (Kingston); Jan 24, 2010. |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Chatelaine mistress clasp hook watch purse bunch keys
Previous card: Meed english noun reward recompense wage middle mede
Up to card list: Hard English Vocabulary