DOMESTICATE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does domesticate mean? 

• DOMESTICATE (verb)
  The verb DOMESTICATE has 3 senses:

1. adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment

2. overcome the wildness of; make docile and tractable

3. make fit for cultivation, domestic life, and service to humans

  Familiarity information: DOMESTICATE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DOMESTICATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they domesticate    ... he / she / it domesticates   
Past simple: domesticated   
Past participle: domesticated   
-ing form: domesticating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

cultivate; domesticate; naturalise; naturalize; tame

Context example:

tame the soil

Hypernyms (to "domesticate" is one way to...):

accommodate; adapt (make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose)

Domain category:

flora; plant; plant life ((botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Overcome the wildness of; make docile and tractable

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

domesticate; domesticise; domesticize; reclaim; tame

Context example:

reclaim falcons

Hypernyms (to "domesticate" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Verb group:

domesticate; tame (make fit for cultivation, domestic life, and service to humans)

Domain category:

animal; animate being; beast; brute; creature; fauna (a living organism characterized by voluntary movement)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "domesticate"):

break; break in (make submissive, obedient, or useful)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make fit for cultivation, domestic life, and service to humans

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

domesticate; tame

Context example:

The wolf was tamed and evolved into the house dog

Hypernyms (to "domesticate" is one way to...):

accommodate; adapt (make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose)

Verb group:

domesticate; domesticise; domesticize; reclaim; tame (overcome the wildness of; make docile and tractable)

Domain category:

animal; animate being; beast; brute; creature; fauna (a living organism characterized by voluntary movement)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

The transition to fungus agriculture increased the range of possible habitats for both the fungus-growing termites and their domesticated fungi.

(Researchers discover oldest evidence of 'farming' by insects, NSF)

The researchers selected for those microbial taxa that best survived on the plants, then showed that these "domesticated" microbial communities can fend off random microbes that land on the plants.

(How do you cultivate a healthy plant microbiome?, National Science Foundation)

As humans domesticated watermelons over the past 4,000 years, they selected fruits that were red, sweet and less bitter, said Zhangjun Fei of the Boyce Thompson Institute and co-leader of the effort.

(Harvesting genes to improve watermelons, National Science Foundation)

If the birds had been domesticated or even heavily farmed, they reasoned, the Egyptian specimens would have shown only a little genetic diversity.

(Ancient Egyptians collected wild ibis birds for sacrifice, says study, Wikinews)

The domesticated generations fell from him.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Like him, they were domesticated wolves.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Domesticated ungulates that are raised for beef, dairy products, and leather, and used for labor.

(Cow, NCI Thesaurus)

Domesticated bovine animals usually kept on a farm or ranch and used for the production of meat or dairy products or for heavy labor.

(Cow, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

These animals are domesticated or taught to cooperate by their owners.

(How humans and wild Honeyguide birds call each other to help, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Rice was domesticated from wild species that grew in tropical regions, where it adapted to endure monsoons and waterlogging.

(Grains in the rain, National Science Foundation)