Adjacent Words

Impregnate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

IMPREG'NATE, v.t. [See Pregnant.]
1. To infuse the principle of conception; to make pregnant, as a female animal.
2. To deposit the fecundating dust of a flower on the pistils of a plant; to render prolific.
3. To infuse particles of one thing into another; to communicate the virtues or one thing to another, as in pharmacy, by mixture, digestion, etc.
IMPREG'NATE, a. Impregnated; rendered prolific or fruitful.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: fill, as with a certain quality; "The heavy traffic tinctures the air with carbon monoxide" [syn: impregnate, infuse, instill, tincture]
2: infuse or fill completely; "Impregnate the cloth with alcohol" [syn: impregnate, saturate]
3: fertilize and cause to grow; "the egg was impregnated"
4: make pregnant; "He impregnated his wife again" [syn: impregnate, knock up, bang up, prang up]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb (-nated; -nating) Etymology: Late Latin impraegnatus, past participle of impraegnare, from Latin in- + praegnas pregnant Date: 1605 1. a. to cause to be filled, imbued, permeated, or saturated <impregnate wood with varnish> b. to permeate thoroughly 2. to make pregnant ; fertilize Synonyms: see soak • impregnation noun • impregnator noun II. adjective Date: 1646 being filled or saturated

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & adj. --v.tr. 1 (often foll. by with) fill or saturate. 2 (often foll. by with) imbue, fill (with feelings, moral qualities, etc.). 3 a make (a female) pregnant. b Biol. fertilize (a female reproductive cell or ovum). --adj. 1 pregnant. 2 (often foll. by with) permeated. Derivatives: impregnation n. Etymology: LL impregnare impregnat- (as IN-(2), pregnare be pregnant)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Impregnate Im*preg"nate ([i^]m*pr[e^]g"n[=a]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impregnated (-n[asl]*t[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Impregnating (-n[asl]*t[i^]ng).] [LL. impraegnatus, p. p. of impraegnare to impregnate, fr. L. pref. im- in + praegnans pregnant. See Pregnant.] 1. To make pregnant; to cause to conceive; to render prolific; to get with child or young. 2. (Biol.) To come into contact with (an ovum or egg) so as to cause impregnation; to fertilize; to fecundate. 3. To infuse an active principle into; to render fruitful or fertile in any way; to fertilize; to imbue. 4. To infuse particles of another substance into; to communicate the quality of another to; to cause to be filled, imbued, mixed, or furnished (with something); as, to impregnate India rubber with sulphur; clothing impregnated with contagion; rock impregnated with ore.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Impregnate Im*preg"nate ([i^]m*pr[e^]g"n[=a]t), v. i. To become pregnant. --Addison.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Impregnate Im*preg"nate (-n[asl]t), a. [LL. impraegnatus, p. p.] Impregnated; made prolific. The scorching ray Here pierceth not, impregnate with disease. --Byron.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(impregnates, impregnating, impregnated) 1. If someone or something impregnates a thing with a substance, they make the substance spread through it and stay in it. Undercover officers found drug-making equipment used to impregnate paper with LSD. VERB: V n with n • -impregnated ...nicotine-impregnated chewing gum. COMB in ADJ 2. When a man or a male animal impregnates a female, he makes her pregnant. (FORMAL) Norman's efforts to impregnate her failed. VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Fecundate, make pregnant, get with child, get with young, cause to conceive. 2. Imbue, infuse, saturate, fill, tincture. 3. (Bot.) Fertilize, make prolific.

Moby Thesaurus

bathe, beat into, besprinkle, brainwash, breathe, brew, catechize, charge, color, condition, cross-fertilize, cross-pollen, cross-pollinate, cross-pollinize, decoct, douche, dredge, drench, dress, drouk, dye, enrich, entincture, fatten, fecundate, fecundify, fertilize, fill, flavor, flush, fructify, get with child, get with young, imbrue, imbue, implant, impress, inculcate, indoctrinate, infiltrate, infix, infuse, inject, inoculate, inseminate, instill, interpenetrate, lave, leach, leaven, lixiviate, macerate, manure, penetrate, percolate, permeate, pervade, pollen, pollinate, pollinize, program, prolificate, rinse, saturate, season, seethe, soak, sodden, sop, souse, spermatize, steep, suffuse, temper, tincture, tinge, transfuse, wash, waterlog