Assimilating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of integrating new knowledge involves adopting elements from various sources while blending them into established cognitive structures
2. This process encompasses the absorption of diverse cultural traits and the incorporation of new ideas into an individual’s understanding
3. The process involves the incorporation of new information into existing knowledge frameworks while also embracing different cultural elements and ideas

Etymology: Assimilating is the present participle of "assimilate", which entered English in the early 15th century from Late Latin "assimilatus", a variant of Latin "assimulatus", meaning "made similar, imitated." That Latin verb was built from "ad" (to) and "simulare" (to imitate, copy), which in turn came from "similis" (like, similar). So the core idea is making one thing resemble another. English also picked up "assemble" from the same root, which makes the two words doublets: distinct English words that trace back to one Latin source. "Assemble" went toward gathering things together, while "assimilate" stayed with the sense of becoming alike, and the modern figurative use of absorbing foreign cultures or new ideas grew out of that older meaning of making like.

Synonyms: integrating, absorbing, incorporating, adapting, adjusting

Antonyms: rejecting, isolating, excluding, segregating, alienating