|—vb (usually foll by into |
|1.||(tr) to learn (information, a procedure, etc) and understand it thoroughly|
|2.||(tr) to absorb (food) and incorporate it into the body tissues|
|3.||(intr) to become absorbed, incorporated, or learned and understood|
|4.||to bring or come into harmony; adjust or become adjusted: the new immigrants assimilated easily|
|5.||to become or cause to become similar|
|[C15: from Latin assimilāre to make one thing like another, from similis like, |
assimilation as·sim·i·la·tion (ə-sĭm'ə-lā'shən)
The incorporation of digested substances from food into the tissues of an organism.
The amalgamation and modification of newly perceived information and experiences into the existing cognitive structure.
|assimilation (ə-sĭm'ə-lā'shən) Pronunciation Key
The conversion of nutrients into living tissue; constructive metabolism.
The process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group: “Waves of immigrants have been assimilated into the American culture.”