Acclimated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Having become accustomed to a different climate or surroundings through gradual exposure
2. Adapted by slowly getting used to new environmental conditions such as temperature or altitude
3. Conditioned after a period of adjustment to accept and function well in a changed habitat or climate

Etymology: The verb "acclimate" entered English in 1792, borrowed from French "acclimater", and its ancestry runs back to the Greek word for the slope of the earth. Ancient Greek "klima" (plural "klimata") meant a region or zone, from "klinein", "to incline", because the sun's rays strike the earth at different angles depending on latitude. Classical geographers used the term for the bands of the globe, and Latin took it over as "clima", which passed into French as "climat" and eventually into English as "climate". French built "acclimater" by joining the prefix "a-" to "climat", so the verb originally meant to adapt to a new climate. The word's first use in English is recorded in 1792, and it carries that sense of a living thing adjusting to an unfamiliar latitude or environment. The "-ed" ending on "acclimated" is simply the regular past tense, so this form describes a plant, animal or person who has already made that adjustment.

Synonyms: adapted, adjusted

Antonyms: unfamiliar, untouched