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mac·er·ate

(măs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: "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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

mac′er·ation n.

macer·a′tor, macer·at′er n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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