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Inoculate
Definitions
- 1 Synonym of inoculum.
- 1 To introduce an antigenic substance or vaccine into something (e.g. the body) or someone, such as to produce immunity to a specific disease. transitive
"But you would not willingly thus give up the Cause; therefore endeavour to draw others into your Assistance, and venture to assert, that by the Account Dr. Nettleton gives, as also by the best Observation upon those who have been Inoculated in this City, scarcely a fourth part of them have had a true and genuine Small Pox."
- 2 impregnate with the virus or germ of a disease in order to render immune wordnet
- 3 To safeguard or protect something as if by inoculation. broadly, transitive
- 4 insert a bud for propagation wordnet
- 5 To add one substance to another. transitive
"The culture medium was inoculated with selenium to investigate the rate of uptake."
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- 6 perform vaccinations or produce immunity in by inoculation wordnet
- 7 To graft by inserting buds. transitive
"to inoculate the bud of one tree or plant into another"
- 8 introduce a microorganism into wordnet
- 9 To introduce into the mind (used especially of harmful ideas or principles). figuratively, transitive
"to inoculate someone with treason or infidelity"
- 10 introduce an idea or attitude into the mind of wordnet
Etymology
First attested in c. 1440; inherited from Middle English inoculaten (“to graft”), from Latin inoculātus, perfect passive participle of inoculō (“to ingraft an eye or bud of one plant into (another), implant”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + oculus (“an eye”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).
Back-formation from inoculation, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).
See also for "inoculate"
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