domesticate

verb do·mes·ti·cate \ də-ˈmes-ti-ˌkāt \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of domesticate

domesticated; domesticating

transitive verb

1 : to bring into use in one's own country : to bring into domestic use : adopt

started to domesticate European customs

2 : to adapt (an animal or plant) to life in intimate association with and to the advantage of humans

when humans first domesticated the dog

3 : to cause to become adapted to life in a household : to make fit for domestic life

wasn't interested in becoming domesticated

4 : to bring to the level of ordinary people

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domestication

play \-ˌmes-ti-ˈkā-shən\ noun

See domesticate defined for English-language learners

See domesticate defined for kids

Examples of domesticate in a Sentence

Horses and oxen have been domesticated to work on farms.
She jokes that dogs are easier to domesticate than men.

Recent Examples of domesticate from the Web

That's why the Arizona Game and Fish Department discourages people from trying to treat or domesticate wild animals.

— lauren castle, azcentral, "What to do if you find an injured wild animal," 10 May 2018
The current prevailing theory holds that dogs domesticated themselves, descending from an unusual type of wolf that no longer exists in the wild.

— Longreads, "The Way We Treat Our Pets Is More Paleolithic Than Medieval," 22 Mar. 2018
In the United States and Britain, fancy (aka domesticated) mice experienced a surge in popularity in the early 20th century, with people keeping them for pets and breeding interesting specimens for mouse shows.

— leila mcneill, Smithsonian, "The History of Breeding Mice for Science Begins With a Woman in a Barn," 20 Mar. 2018
Garden hunting The Maya seem to have taken longer to domesticate animals for more mundane purposes.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Ancient Maya traded dogs for use in religious ceremonies, new study shows," 19 Mar. 2018
Wild plants hold a lot of genetic variants lost when people domesticated crops.

— carl zimmer, New York Times, "All by Itself, the Humble Sweet Potato Colonized the World," 12 Apr. 2018
Mueller told Ars Technica that erect knotweed was likely domesticated on tiny farms on the western front of the Appalachians.

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "Hunting for the ancient lost farms of North America," 26 Jan. 2018
His research has shown that beans were domesticated twice: in Mesoamerica, where their wild forebears evolved, and in the Andes.

— junot díaz, The New Yorker, "The Hunt for Mexico’s Heirloom Beans," 17 Apr. 2018
In fact, millet was one of the first foods domesticated by humans; its cultivation dates back over 7,000 years.

— ashleigh spitza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Millet, the underdog of grains, packs a punch of nutrients," 11 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'domesticate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of domesticate

see ¹domestic

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1639

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

domesticate

noun do·mes·ti·cate \ -kət , -ˌkāt \

Definition of domesticate

: a domesticated (see ¹domesticate 2) animal or plant

Recent Examples of domesticate from the Web

So if ants are growing wet habitat-loving fungi, and remove them to a dry habitat, that's sort of like humans taking one of their domesticates out of its native range.

— brian handwerk, Smithsonian, "How Ants Became the World’s Best Fungus Farmers," 12 Apr. 2017
So if ants are growing wet habitat-loving fungi, and remove them to a dry habitat, that's sort of like humans taking one of their domesticates out of its native range.

— brian handwerk, Smithsonian, "How Ants Became the World’s Best Fungus Farmers," 12 Apr. 2017

Origin and Etymology of domesticate

see ¹domestic

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1951

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

DOMESTICATE Defined for English Language Learners

domesticate

verb

Definition of domesticate for English Language Learners

: to breed or train (an animal) to need and accept the care of human beings : to tame (an animal)
: to grow (a plant) for human use
: to train (someone) to behave in an appropriate way at home (such as by using good manners, being polite, being helpful, etc.)