Assimilated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have become part of a larger group by absorbing its ideas or practices
2. Having been absorbed into a different community, adopting its cultural norms and practices
3. Integrated into a new social environment by embracing its customs and beliefs

Etymology: "Assimilated" is the past form of "assimilate," which entered English in the early 15th century as "assimilaten," meaning "to become similar" or "to make like." It came from Late Latin "assimilatus," a variant of the Latin "assimulatus," meaning "made similar" or "imitated." That Latin word combines "ad," "to," with "simulare," "to imitate or copy," which itself comes from "similis," "like" or "similar." Its meaning of making one thing resemble another carries straight into the social sense of a person or group taking on a new culture's habits and beliefs. English also has a sibling from the same Latin source: "assemble," which arrived by a different route and kept a sense of bringing things together.

Synonyms: incorporated, absorbed