Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To introduce a serum, vaccine, or antigenic substance into (the body of a person or animal), especially to produce or boost immunity to a specific disease.
- transitive verb To communicate a disease to (a living organism) by transferring its causative agent into the organism.
- transitive verb To implant microorganisms or infectious material into (a culture medium).
- transitive verb To safeguard as if by inoculation; protect.
- transitive verb To introduce an idea or attitude into the mind of.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To graft by budding; insert a bud or germ in, as a tree or plant, for propagation.
- Hence To introduce a foreign germ or element into; specifically, to impregnate with disease by the insertion of virus; treat by inoculation for the purpose of protecting from a more malignant form of the disease: as, to
inoculate a person for the smallpox: often used figuratively.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To bud; to insert, or graft, as the bud of a tree or plant in another tree or plant.
- transitive verb To insert a foreign bud into.
- transitive verb (Med.) 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; See
Vaccinate . - transitive verb Fig.: To introduce into the mind; -- used especially of harmful ideas or principles; to imbue.
- transitive verb (Microbiology) To introduce microorganisms into (a growth medium), to cause the growth and multiplication of the microorganisms.
- intransitive verb To graft by inserting buds.
- intransitive verb To communicate disease by inoculation.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive, immunology To introduce an
antigenic substance orvaccine into the body to produceimmunity to a specific disease. - verb transitive, by extension To
safeguard orprotect something as if byinoculation . - verb To add one substance to another. To
spike - verb To
graft by insertingbuds .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb introduce a microorganism into
- verb perform vaccinations or produce immunity in by inoculation
- verb impregnate with the virus or germ of a disease in order to render immune
- verb insert a bud for propagation
- verb introduce an idea or attitude into the mind of
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"As long as the amount you inoculate is small, the spread to other organs is minimal, and the risk of systemic toxicity is almost zero."
Medpundit 2003
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"As long as the amount you inoculate is small, the spread to other organs is minimal, and the risk of systemic toxicity is almost zero."
Archive 2003-06-01 2003
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Given the widespread use of medical metaphors in discussing anti-Semitism, Schary probably meant to use the word "inoculate" rather than "insulate."
Caught in the Crossfire: Adrian Scott and the Politics of Americanism in 1940s Hollywood 2007
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And remember, one meaning of the word "inoculate" is "to give them eyes".
Archive 2008-11-01 Noni Mausa 2008
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If anything, Mr. Greene says, biofuels producers -- particularly those that specialize in making fuels that don't come from corn -- stand to benefit from new regulations, because such standards will "inoculate" the industry against the kinds of criticisms that have buffeted food-based biofuel crops.
If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Are Biofuels To Blame? It's Not Easy Being Green 2008
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It is far too early to tell whether attacking Bush as commander in chief is brilliant or not -- or indeed, whether it's just an attempt to "inoculate" Kerry on the issue of militant patriotism before turning in the fall to wooing female swing voters, one kitchen-table domestic issue at a time.
HAIL TO THE CHIEF 2007
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Is he trying to put some distance between the administration and himself in order to kind of inoculate himself for that stance?
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From the beginning we can see that Berlin Childhood is going to be a very personal work for Benjamin--it arises not out of some abstract idea, but rather a personal need--the need to protect or "inoculate" himself against the awful homesickness of the exile.
A stroll through Walter Benjamin's Berlin - Part 1 (Introduction) 2006
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It is only through these images that a vanished Berlin can be conjured up once again, and it is with these images that Benjamin will seek to "inoculate" himself.
A stroll through Walter Benjamin's Berlin - Part 1 (Introduction) 2006
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So, when you first plant a particular leguminous tree on your farm, you should "inoculate" the seeds before planting.
Chapter 7 1994
Prolagus commented on the word inoculate
Italian for inoculated (fem. pl.)
July 9, 2008
Kristianto2010 commented on the word inoculate
The desired mushroom must be able to colonise the substrate before other fungi or bacteria do so. To achieve this, pre-grown mycelium (free of any contaminants) of the mushroom is inoculated on a sterile substrate.
January 24, 2011