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 assimilated
2 : the incorporation or conversion of nutrients into protoplasm that in animals follows digestion and absorption and in higher plants involves both photosynthesis and root absorption
3 : 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