domesticate

verb do·mes·ti·cate \ də-ˈme-sti-ˌkāt \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Examples: domesticate in a Sentence

Definition of domesticate

domesticated; domesticating

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) over time from a wild or natural state especially by selective breeding to life in close association with and to the benefit of humans

The Asian equids, including the now-endangered Przewalski's horse, apparently provided the stock from which the horse was domesticated five to six thousand years ago.
—Bruce J. MacFadden

But every reader addicted to coffee can thank ancient Ethiopian farmers for domesticating the coffee plant.
—Jared Diamond

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

—

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

But every so often strains from wild birds kill domesticated chickens and turkeys, and threaten pigs or even people, too.

— Washington Post, "Bird flu hot spot: Scientists track virus in huge migration," 28 June 2018
In the early 1900s, it was widely believed that blueberries could not be domesticated.

— ashleigh spitza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'Little blue dynamos,' blueberries pack in flavor and nutrients," 11 June 2018
Humans and their cattle, pigs, and other livestock outweigh wild mammals by more than 20-fold; similarly, domesticated fowl surpass all other birds.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Plants outweigh all other life on Earth," 21 May 2018
The traits can be traced back thousands of years, when early humans first started domesticating animals and breeding them to suit their needs.

— kelli bender, PEOPLE.com, "Why Do Some Dogs Have Floppy Ears? Listen Up: Science Has the Answer," 30 Jan. 2018
But on the other hand, the black-market knockoff purchase became domesticated by its authentic source, transformed back into a brand experience.

— courtney coffman, The Atlantic, "Shops Aren’t for Shopping Anymore," 19 June 2018
The animal is distressed, possibly domesticated as indicated by the presence of a leather collar, with the cape being a force that is magical yet dangerous, evoking connotations of Little Red Riding Hood or Dracula.

— james charisma, latimes.com, "The hyper-real world of sculptor Erick Swenson comes to life at Honolulu museum," 4 June 2018
The department told the woman that the animal can't be domesticated.

— lauren castle, azcentral, "What to do if you find an injured wild animal," 10 May 2018
These domesticated species are ones that get ahead in evolution by gratifying our desire.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Author Michael Pollan on Recode Decode," 22 May 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.)