macerate
verb
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Macerate is derived from the Latin verb macerare, which means "to soften" or "to steep," and, in Late Latin, can also mean "to mortify (the flesh)." Macerate first entered English in the mid-1500s to refer both to the wasting away of flesh especially by fasting and to softening or steeping. A few other manifestations sprouted thereafter from the word's figurative branch (e.g., the 18th-century novelist Laurence Sterne once wrote of "a city so macerated with expectation"); however, those extensions wilted in time. Today, the "steeping" and "soaking" senses of macerate saturate culinary articles (as in "macerating fruit in liquor") as well as other writings (scientific ones, for instance: "the food is macerated in the gizzard" or "the wood is macerated in the solution").
Synonyms
Examples of macerate in a Sentence
Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2024
It’s produced at a new distillery which opened in Portland, Oregon in 2022, where a botanical blend of cardamom, French lavender, anise seed, sarsaparilla, orange peel, and of course juniper is macerated in neutral grain spirit for 18 hours before distillation.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024
Do the strawberries need to macerate in the sugar for an hour?
—Kathy Gunst, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024
Categorized as a London dry gin, its unique character and flavor come from the choice of botanicals, which are macerated in spirit for 24 hours.
—Claudia Alarcón, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for macerate 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'macerate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Macerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/macerate. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
macerate
1 of 2 verb
macerate
2 of 2 noun
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