mac·er·ate (măs'ə-rāt')

v., -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates.

v.tr.

1. To make soft by soaking or steeping in a liquid.
2. To separate into constituents by soaking.
3. To cause to become lean, usually by starvation; emaciate.

v.intr.
To become soft or separated into constituents by soaking: "His winemaker allowed the juice and skins of the white grapes to macerate together overnight before pressing" (Gerald Asher).

n. (-ĭt)
A substance prepared or produced by macerating.

[Latin mācerāre, mācerāt-.]

maceration mac'er·a'tion n.
macerator mac'er·a'tor or mac'er·at'er n.

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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.

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