Main Entry:

as·sim·i·la·tion

Pronunciation:

\ə-ˌsi-mə-ˈlā-shən\

Function:

noun

Date:

15th century

1 a: an act, process, or instance of assimilating b: the state of being assimilated2: the incorporation or conversion of nutrients into protoplasm that in animals follows digestion and absorption and in higher plants involves both photosynthesis and root absorption3: change of a sound in speech so that it becomes identical with or similar to a neighboring sound <the usual assimilation of \z\ to \sh\ in the phrase his shoe>4: the process of receiving new facts or of responding to new situations in conformity with what is already available to consciousness