inoculate

verb in·oc·u·late \ i-ˈnä-kyə-ˌlāt \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

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Examples: inoculate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of inoculate

inoculated; inoculating

transitive verb

1 a : to introduce a microorganism into

inoculate mice with anthrax

beans inoculated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria

b : to introduce (something, such as a microorganism) into a suitable situation for growth

c : to introduce immunologically active material (such as an antibody or antigen) into especially in order to treat or prevent a disease

inoculate children against diphtheria

2 : to introduce something into the mind of

3 : to protect as if by inoculation

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inoculative

play \i-ˈnä-kyə-ˌlā-tiv\ adjective

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inoculator

play \i-ˈnä-kyə-ˌlā-tər\ noun

See inoculate defined for English-language learners

See inoculate defined for kids

inoculate was our Word of the Day on 09/15/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of inoculate in a Sentence

inoculated them with the idea that the individual can always make a difference in this world

Recent Examples of inoculate from the Web

And in that overwhelming run-up to the eventual goodbye, overbuying and over-packing are easy mistakes to make as parents hope to inoculate their teens against every collegiate scenario.

— lisa a. flam, Fox News, "Preparing your teen for college dorm life? Don't over-pack," 10 July 2018
In this way, completing a bachelor’s degree does not inoculate black families from struggling with debt — quite the opposite, in fact.

— mark huelsman, Washington Post, "When it comes to student debt, it’s really a matter of wealth," 16 May 2018
In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner inoculated James Phipps, 8, against smallpox by using cowpox matter.

— BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 14 May 2018
Other cheeses might be coated in herbs, washed with beer, or inoculated with cool mold, and the rind holds a flavor all its own.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "Stop Leaving the Brie Rind Behind, You Monster," 25 Apr. 2018
Might researchers be able to inoculate baby corals with heat-tolerant algae to try to create reefs that would resist bleaching events?

— matt simon, WIRED, "Corals Are in Serious Trouble. This Lab Could Help Save Them," 23 Apr. 2018
In one landmark study from the late ’50s, over 1,000 stalwarts were inoculated with the infectious nasal secretions from a patient with an active cold.

— richard klasco, m.d., New York Times, "Can I Catch the Same Cold Twice?," 9 Mar. 2018
Established in 1997, a mix of oak and hazelnut trees were inoculated with the spores of French Périgord truffles, the second most valuable tuber after the Italian white truffle.

— christina liao, Vogue, "Why You Should Be Going to Australia for Fresh Black Truffles," 12 July 2018
Meanwhile, the problems that have previously plagued websites would be inoculated its bare-bones construction: no forums, no private messages, no reviews, no membership fees, and no explicit photos or details of the services provided.

— rick paulas, Longreads, "Sex Workers vs. The Internet," 15 June 2018

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

Did You Know?

If you think you see a connection between "inoculate" and "ocular" ("of or relating to the eye"), you are not mistaken - both words look back to "oculus," the Latin word for "eye." But what does the eye have to do with inoculation? Our answer lies in the original use in English of "inoculate" in Middle English: "to insert a bud in a plant." Latin oculus was sometimes applied to things that were seen to resemble eyes, and one such thing was the bud of a plant. "Inoculate" was later applied to other forms of engrafting or implanting, including the introduction of vaccines as a preventative against disease.

Origin and Etymology of inoculate

Middle English, to insert a bud in a plant, from Latin inoculatus, past participle of inoculare, from in- + oculus eye, bud — more at eye

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1721

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

inoculate Synonyms

Synonyms

endue (or indue), imbue, inculcate, infuse, ingrain (also engrain), invest, steep, suffuse;

Near Antonyms

deprive, divest, strip;

clear, empty;

eliminate, remove, take away;

implant, instill, plant;

impregnate, permeate, pervade, saturate;

deluge, drown, fill, flood, inundate, overwhelm, submerge;

Synonym Discussion of inoculate

infuse, suffuse, imbue, ingrain, inoculate, leaven mean to introduce one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. infuse implies a pouring in of something that gives new life or significance.

- new members infused enthusiasm into the club

suffuse implies a spreading through of something that gives an unusual color or quality.

- a room suffused with light

imbue implies the introduction of a quality that fills and permeates the whole being.

- imbue students with intellectual curiosity

ingrain, used only in the passive or past participle, suggests the deep implanting of a quality or trait.

- clung to ingrained habits

inoculate implies an imbuing or implanting with a germinal idea and often suggests stealth or subtlety.

- an electorate inoculated with dangerous ideas

leaven implies introducing something that enlivens, tempers, or markedly alters the total quality.

- a serious play leavened with comic moments

Other Microbiology Terms

pathogen, salmonella, tetanus

INOCULATE Defined for English Language Learners

inoculate

verb

Definition of inoculate for English Language Learners

medical : to give (a person or animal) a weakened form of a disease in order to prevent infection by the disease

INOCULATE Defined for Kids

inoculate

verb in·oc·u·late \ i-ˈnä-kyə-ˌlāt \

Definition of inoculate for Students

inoculated; inoculating

: to inject a material (as a vaccine) into to protect against or treat a disease

History for inoculate

Similar to the way that we use “eye” for the undeveloped bud on a potato, the Romans used the Latin word oculus, “eye,” to mean “bud of a plant.” Having learned that the oculus or bud from one plant can be grafted onto another, the Romans derived the verb inoculare from oculus to refer to the process of grafting. English borrowed this verb as inoculate with the same meaning. Introducing a small amount of material to make a person immune to a disease is like implanting a bud, so the verb inoculate was also used for this procedure.