domesticate
verb /dəˈmestɪkeɪt/
/dəˈmestɪkeɪt/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they domesticate | /dəˈmestɪkeɪt/ /dəˈmestɪkeɪt/ |
he / she / it domesticates | /dəˈmestɪkeɪts/ /dəˈmestɪkeɪts/ |
past simple domesticated | /dəˈmestɪkeɪtɪd/ /dəˈmestɪkeɪtɪd/ |
past participle domesticated | /dəˈmestɪkeɪtɪd/ /dəˈmestɪkeɪtɪd/ |
-ing form domesticating | /dəˈmestɪkeɪtɪŋ/ /dəˈmestɪkeɪtɪŋ/ |
- [often passive] to make a wild animal used to living with or working for humans
- be domesticated Mammals were first domesticated for their milk.
- [often passive] to grow plants or crops for human use, especially for the first time
- be domesticated Corn was domesticated more than 6 000 years ago.
- domesticate somebody (often humorous) to make somebody good at cooking, caring for a house, etc.; to make somebody enjoy home life
- Some men are very hard to domesticate.
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from medieval Latin domesticat- ‘domesticated’, from the verb domesticare, from Latin domesticus ‘belonging to the house’, from domus ‘house’.