inoculate

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: in=oc=u=late

CIDE DICTIONARY

inoculate, v. t. [L. inoculatus, p. p. of inoculare to ingraft; pref. in- in, on + oculare to furnish with eyes, fr. oculus an eye, also, a bud. See Ocular.].

•  To bud; to insert, or graft, as the bud of a tree or plant in another tree or plant.  [1913 Webster]
•  To insert a foreign bud into; as, to inoculate a tree.  [1913 Webster]
•  To communicate a disease to (a person) by inserting infectious matter in the skin or flesh, especially as a means of inducing immunological resistance to that or related diseases; as, to inoculate a person with the virus of smallpox, rabies, etc. See Vaccinate.  [1913 Webster]
•  Fig.: To introduce into the mind; -- used especially of harmful ideas or principles; to imbue; as, to inoculate one with treason or infidelity.  [1913 Webster]
•  To introduce microorganisms into (a growth medium), to cause the growth and multiplication of the microorganisms; as, to inoculate a fermentation vat with an actinomycete culture in order to produce streptomycin.  [PJC]

inoculate, v. i. 

•  To graft by inserting buds.  [1913 Webster]
•  To communicate disease by inoculation.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

inoculate, v.tr.
1 a treat (a person or animal) with a small quantity of the agent of a disease, in the form of vaccine or serum, usu. by injection, to promote immunity against the disease. b implant (a disease) by means of vaccine.
2 instil (a person) with ideas or opinions.

Derivative

inoculable adj. inoculation n. inoculative adj. inoculator n.

Etymology

orig. in sense 'insert (a bud) into a plant': L inoculare inoculat- engraft (as IN-(2), oculus eye, bud)

THESAURUS

inoculate

admit, animate, beat into, brainwash, catechize, condition, ease in, embue, enliven, enter, exhilarate, fire, imbue, immunize, implant, impregnate, impress, inculcate, indoctrinate, infect, infix, inform, infuse, ingrain, inject, insert, insinuate, inspire, inspirit, instill, interject, introduce, intromit, invest, leaven, perfuse, pop in, program, put in, set in, shoot, slip in, spirit, spirit up, steep, stick in, suffuse, throw in, tuck in, vaccinate, whip in

ROGET THESAURUS

inoculate

Motive

VB induce, move, draw, draw on, bring in its train, give an impulse, to, inspire, put up to, prompt, call up, attract, beckon, stimulate, spirit up, inspirit, rouse, arouse, animate, incite, foment, provoke, instigate, set on, actuate, act upon, work upon, operate upon, encourage, pat on the back, pat on the shoulder, clap on the back, clap on the shoulder, influence, weigh with, bias, sway, incline, dispose, predispose, turn the scale, inoculate, lead by the nose, have influence with, have influence over, have influence upon, exercise influence with, exercise influence over, exercise influence upon, go round, come round one, turn the head, magnetize, lobby, persuade, prevail with, prevail upon, overcome, carry, bring round to one's senses, bring to one's senses, draw over, win over, gain over, come over, talk over, procure, enlist, engage, invite, court, tempt, seduce, overpersuade, entice, allure, captivate, fascinate, bewitch, carry away, charm, conciliate, wheedle, coax, lure, inveigle, tantalize, cajole, tamper with, bribe, suborn, grease the palm, bait with a silver hook, gild the pill, make things pleasant, put a sop into the pan, throw a sop to, bait the hook, enforce, force, impel, propel, whip, lash, goad, spur, prick, urge, egg on, hound, hurry on, drag, exhort, advise, call upon, press, advocate, set an example, set the fashion, keep in countenance, be persuaded, yield to temptation, come round, concede, obey a call, follow advice, follow the bent, follow the dictates of, act on principle.

Insertion

VB insert, introduce, intromit, put into, run into, import, inject, interject, infuse, instill, inoculate, impregnate, imbue, imbrue, graft, ingraft, bud, plant, implant, dovetail, obtrude, thrust in, stick in, ram in, stuff in, tuck in, press, in, drive in, pop in, whip in, drop in, put in, impact, empierce, imbed, immerse, immerge, merge, bathe, soak, dip, plunge, bury, insert itself, lodge itself, plunge in medias res.

Teaching

VB teach, instruct, educate, edify, school, tutor, cram, prime, coach, enlighten, inculcate, indoctrinate, inoculate, infuse, instill, infix, ingraft, infiltrate, imbue, impregnate, implant, graft, sow the seeds of, disseminate, given an idea of, put up to, put in the way of, set right, sharpen the wits, enlarge the mind, give new ideas, open the eyes, bring forward, teach the young idea how to shoot, improve, expound, lecture, read a lesson, give a lesson, give a lecture, give a sermon, give a discourse, incept, hold forth, preach, sermonize, moralize, point a moral, train, discipline, bring up, bring up to, form, ground, prepare, qualify, drill, exercise, practice, habituate, familiarize with, nurture, drynurse, breed, rear, take in hand, break, break in, tame, preinstruct, initiate, inure, put to nurse, send to school, direct, guide, direct attention to, impress upon the mind, impress upon the memory, beat into, beat into the head, convince, book, workbook, exercise book, preach to the wise, teach one's grandmother to suck eggs, teach granny to suck eggs, preach to the converted.