macerate

[ mas-uh-reyt ]

/ ˈmæs əˌreɪt /

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See synonyms for: macerate / macerated on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), mac·er·at·ed, mac·er·at·ing.

to soften or separate into parts by steeping in a liquid.

to soften or decompose (food) by the action of a solvent.

to cause to grow thin.

verb (used without object), mac·er·at·ed, mac·er·at·ing.

to undergo maceration.

to become thin or emaciated; waste away.

OTHER WORDS FOR macerate

5 shrink, shrivel, fade, wither.

See synonyms for macerate on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of macerate

1540–50; <Latin mācerātus (past participle of mācerāre to make soft, weaken, steep); see -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM macerate

mac·er·at·er, mac·er·a·tor, nounmac·er·a·tive, adjectiveun·mac·er·at·ed, adjective

Words nearby macerate

Macedonia, Macedonian, Maceió, macer, maceral, macerate, maceration, macfarlane, Macgillicuddy's Reeks, MacGregor, MacGuffin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use macerate in a sentence

The process of making the actual cake part of fruitcake is fairly novice-level baking — macerate some dried fruit and nuts in alcohol, fold them together with flour, sugar, and eggs, pack the batter into a tin, and bake.
Start Making Your Christmas Fruitcake Right Now|Dayna Evans|November 3, 2021|Eater
Transfer the macerated mixture to a heavy-bottomed 6-quart pot or preserving pan set over medium-high heat.
This small-batch blueberry jam recipe has a surprising secret ingredient|Charlotte Druckman|August 26, 2021|Washington Post
As its name implies, it’s made by macerating chopped vanilla bean pods in alcohol, which extracts the flavors and fragrances from the bean.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Vanilla|Jamie Feldmar|July 22, 2021|Eater
Even my windowsill herbs feel destined to be tossed into a jar of macerated fruit.
Homemade Shrubs Are Your Gateway to a World of Sweet, Tangy Summer Drinking|Aliza Abarbanel|July 8, 2021|Eater

Animal welfare activists have been lobbying against male chick culling for decades, chronicling cute and fuzzy day-old chicks who are gassed or macerated.
Why the US egg industry is still killing 300 million chicks a year|Tove K. Danovich|April 12, 2021|Vox
Press out all the whey from the curd and macerate the latter for several hours (10 to 12 hours) in 50 cc.
Detection of the Common Food Adulterants|Edwin M. Bruce
For those who macerate the body, and long to put on immortality, are only in a kind of dream.
Flowers of Freethought|George W. Foote
Macerate the drugs with alcohol and water, and after a few days transfer to percolator.
Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians|William K. David
Macerate in a close vessel for a fortnight, then filter and bottle for sale.
The Art of Perfumery|G. W. Septimus Piesse
Allow the whole to macerate in the spirit during 24 hours, then distil off 40 gallons by the heat of a water bath.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for macerate

macerate

/ (ˈmæsəˌreɪt) /

verb

to soften or separate or be softened or separated as a result of soaking

to break up or cause to break up by soakingmacerated peaches

to become or cause to become thin

Derived forms of macerate

macerater or macerator, nounmacerative, adjectivemaceration, noun

Word Origin for macerate

C16: from Latin mācerāre to soften

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

macerate

OTHER WORDS FOR macerate

Origin of macerate

OTHER WORDS FROM macerate

Words nearby macerate

Words related to macerate

How to use macerate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for macerate

Derived forms of macerate

Word Origin for macerate