v., -bed·ded, also -bed·ded, -bed·ding, -bed·ding, -beds, -beds. v.tr.
- To fix firmly in a surrounding mass: embed a post in concrete; fossils embedded in shale.
- To enclose snugly or firmly.
- To cause to be an integral part of a surrounding whole: "a minor accuracy embedded in a larger untruth" (Ian Jack).
- To assign (a journalist) to travel with a military unit during an armed conflict.
- Biology. To enclose (a specimen) in a supporting material before sectioning for microscopic examination.
To become embedded: The harpoon struck but did not embed.
n. (ĕm'bĕd')
One that is embedded, especially a journalist who is assigned to an active military unit.
embedment em·bed'ment n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
