assimilation
assimilation Lexical Profile
assimilation Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The process by which individuals or groups of differing ethnic or cultural heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society.
"Generations of immigrants experienced gradual cultural assimilation as their children adopted the language and customs of their new home."
The act or process of taking in, fully understanding, and integrating new information, ideas, or experiences.
"The rapid assimilation of complex scientific concepts requires both active reading and practical experimentation."
The biological process by which digested nutrients or absorbed substances are converted into the living tissue and cellular material of an organism.
"Nitrogen assimilation in plants is essential for the synthesis of amino acids and proteins."
In linguistics, the phonetic process by which a speech sound becomes similar or identical to an adjacent or nearby sound.
"The pronunciation of the prefix 'in-' as 'im-' before 'possible' is a classic example of nasal assimilation."
Word Nuance & Usage
In sociology, 'assimilation' is often distinguished from 'acculturation' and 'integration': assimilation implies that a minority group adopts the dominant culture so completely that its original distinct identity fades, whereas integration and acculturation allow the minority group to retain core cultural traditions.
• Rhymes for assimilation
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from French assimilation or directly from Latin assimilatio ('a making like, likeness, similarity'), from the verb assimilare ('to make like, imitate'), formed from ad- ('to') and similis ('like, resembling').