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in·cor·po·rate

(ĭn-kôrpə-rāt′)

v. in·cor·po·rat·ed, in·cor·po·rat·ing, in·cor·po·rates

v.tr.

1. To unite (one thing) with something else already in existence: incorporated the letter into her diary.

2. To admit as a member to a corporation or similar organization.

3. To cause to merge or combine together into a united whole.

4. To cause to form into a legal corporation: incorporate a business.

5. To give substance or material form to; embody.

v.intr.

1. To become united or combined into an organized body.

2. To become or form a legal corporation: San Antonio incorporated as a city in 1837.

3. Linguistics To move from the head of one phrase to the head of another, forming a new word by affixing onto that head, as in certain languages when a noun object of a verb is affixed to the verb.

adj. (-pər-ĭt)

1. Combined into one united body; merged.

2. Formed into a legal corporation.

[Middle English incorporaten, from Late Latin incorporāre, incorporāt-, to form into a body : Latin in-, causative pref.; see IN-² + Latin corpus, corpor-, body; see CORPUS.]

in·corpo·ra·ble (-pər-ə-bəl) adj.

in·cor′po·ration n.

in·corpo·ra′tive adj.

in·corpo·ra′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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