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im·preg·nate

(ĭm-prĕgnāt)

tr.v. im·preg·nat·ed, im·preg·nat·ing, im·preg·nates

1. To make pregnant; inseminate.

2. To fertilize (an ovum, for example).

3. To fill throughout; saturate: a cotton wad that was impregnated with ether.

4. To permeate or imbue: impregnate a speech with optimism.

adj. (also -nĭt)

Saturated or filled.

[Probably from Late Latin impraegnātus, pregnant : Latin in-, in; see IN-² + Latin praegnātus, variant of praegnās, pregnant; see PREGNANT¹.]

im′preg·nation n.

im·pregna′tor n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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