Acclimatizing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of adjusting to a new environment includes adapting physiologically, culturally, and behaviorally to different climatic or social conditions
2. This involves becoming accustomed to and making necessary changes to thrive in varying environmental or cultural contexts
3. It entails the gradual adjustment and adaptation of individuals to new atmospheric or social conditions for better functionality and comfort

Etymology: The verb "acclimatize" is built from "acclimate" plus the suffix "-ize", and the building blocks trace back a long way. The core of "acclimate" is the Greek "klima", meaning slope or inclination, which came to mean a zone of the earth tilted toward the sun, and from there the climate of a region. Latin borrowed it as "clima," and French later adapted it as "climat," the source of the English word "climate." English took "acclimate" from French "acclimater," which combines "a-" (toward) with "climat." The idea was originally about transplanting plants or animals to a foreign region and getting them to survive there. The "-ize" ending, borrowed through Late Latin "-izare" and Old French, is a common verb-forming suffix, and "acclimatize" was first recorded in 1836, a fairly late formation that added the extra syllable to the older "acclimate."

Synonyms: adapting, adjusting, acclimating, habituating, fitting in

Antonyms: unfitting, disorienting, alienating