assimilate
assimilate — 動詞
1. When people or groups from different backgrounds mix to the point where the smal
同化；融入
融入主流文化或社會
When people or groups from different backgrounds mix to the point where the smaller group takes on the customs, language, and way of life of the larger group, so that differences fade over time.
The Vietnamese refugees gradually assimilated into Canadian society over twenty years.
越南難民在二十年間逐漸融入了加拿大社會。
The school's programme helps new students assimilate by pairing them with local buddies.
學校的計畫透過與本地學生配對，幫助新生融入。
new students assimilate
Layla felt pressure to assimilate at work, so she changed the way she dressed and spoke.
Layla 在工作上感受到融入的壓力，於是改變了自己的穿著和說話方式。
Immigrant families often assimilate while still keeping their native traditions alive at home.
移民家庭常常在融入主流社會的同時，仍在家中保存原有的文化傳統。
The host country offered free language courses to help newcomers assimilate more quickly.
地主國提供免費語言課程，幫助新移民更快融入。
- integrate
more neutral; implies fitting in without necessarily losing one's original identity
- blend in
informal; focuses on outward appearance of fitting in
- acculturate
more formal; specifically about adopting another culture's traits
- segregate
to keep groups separate rather than letting them mix
文法句型
assimilate into a group/country/society
assimilate sb into a community
用法筆記
Often used in discussions of immigration and multiculturalism. The intransitive form (people assimilate into a society) is more common in everyday speech than the transitive form (a country assimilates people).
常見錯誤
2. to take new information, ideas, or skills into your mind so that you fully under
吸收；理解
將新資訊納入既有知識
to take new information, ideas, or skills into your mind so that you fully understand them and can build on them in your own thinking or work.
The students need time to assimilate all the new vocabulary they learned in class today.
學生需要時間來吸收課堂上學到的新單字。
assimilate all the new vocabulary
Ricardo found it hard to assimilate the company's complex procedures during his first week.
Ricardo 發現自己很難在第一週就理解公司複雜的流程。
Young children assimilate language naturally by listening and repeating what they hear.
幼兒透過聆聽和模仿來自然地吸收語言。
The team assimilated the feedback from customers and redesigned the product within a month.
團隊吸收了客戶的意見，並在一個月內重新設計了產品。
Gabriela assimilated data from fifty research papers before writing her thesis on climate change.
Gabriela 吸收了五十篇研究論文的數據，才開始撰寫關於氣候變遷的論文。
- reject
to refuse to accept an idea or piece of information
文法句型
assimilate information/knowledge/ideas
assimilate what sb hears/reads
用法筆記
Always transitive. The object is typically abstract (information, knowledge, ideas) rather than concrete. Often used with a time phrase such as 'need time to assimilate' or 'took a while to assimilate.'
常見錯誤
3. When a living thing takes in and breaks down food or other substances into a for
吸收營養
將食物轉化為身體可用的養分
When a living thing takes in and breaks down food or other substances into a form that its body can use for energy, growth, or repair.
After surgery, Henry's digestive system could not properly assimilate solid food for several days.
手術後，Henry 的消化系統連續幾天都無法正常吸收固體食物。
could not properly assimilate solid food
Plants assimilate minerals from the soil through their root systems.
植物透過根系統從土壤中吸收礦物質。
The body assimilates protein most effectively when it is eaten together with carbohydrates.
蛋白質與碳水化合物一同食用時，身體的吸收效果最佳。
Some people cannot assimilate lactose because their intestines lack the necessary enzyme.
有些人無法吸收乳糖，因為他們的腸道缺乏必要的酵素。
The doctor explained that the medicine would be assimilated into Theo's bloodstream within an hour.
醫生解釋說，藥物會在一小時內被吸收到 Theo 的血液中。
- excrete
to expel waste that the body cannot use
文法句型
assimilate nutrients/food/protein
assimilate into the bloodstream
用法筆記
More common in scientific and medical writing than in everyday conversation. The simpler word 'absorb' is preferred in casual contexts. Both transitive and intransitive uses occur, but the passive construction (be assimilated) is frequent in technical descriptions.
常見錯誤
4. In phonetics, when a speech sound changes to become more like a sound that comes
語音同化
語音受鄰音影響而改變
In phonetics, when a speech sound changes to become more like a sound that comes before or after it, making the sequence easier to pronounce.
In rapid speech, the /n/ in 'input' often assimilates to the following /p/ sound.
在快速語流中，「input」的 /n/ 常常同化為後面的 /p/ 音。
assimilates to the following /p/ sound
The /d/ in 'good boy' can assimilate to /b/ in casual conversation.
「good boy」的 /d/ 在隨意的對話中可能同化為 /b/。
When a final consonant assimilates to the next word's first sound, it is called connected speech.
當詞尾的子音同化為下一個詞的開頭音時，就稱為連音。
Nala noticed the /t/ in 'light blue' changes to /p/ at natural speed.
Nala 注意到自己以自然語速說話時，「light blue」的 /t/ 會同化為 /p/。
The textbook explains how the /s/ in 'this shop' can assimilate to the /ʃ/ sound.
課本解釋了「this shop」的 /s/ 如何同化為 /ʃ/ 音。
文法句型
assimilate to a sound
assimilate with a neighbouring sound
用法筆記
Restricted to phonetics and linguistics. Rarely encountered outside academic contexts. The verb is typically intransitive in this sense (a sound assimilates to another sound).
常見錯誤
assimilate — 名詞
1. A piece of information, an idea, or a substance that has been fully taken into a
吸收物；同化物
被吸收的資訊或物質
A piece of information, an idea, or a substance that has been fully taken into a larger system or mind and made part of it.
Each cultural assimilate — from food to festivals — changed how the community saw itself.
每一項文化同化物——從食物到節慶——都改變了該社區對自身的看法。
cultural assimilate
The researcher measured how each dietary assimilate affected the subjects' energy levels.
研究人員測量了每種飲食吸收物對受試者體力水準的影響。
In her thesis, Sofia treated each borrowed custom as a distinct assimilate within the larger culture.
Sofia 在她的論文中將每一種外來習俗視為大文化中的一個獨立同化物。
The brain stores each new assimilate in networks that link it to related memories.
大腦將每個新吸收的資訊儲存在連結相關記憶的神經網絡中。
- absorbed element
more descriptive; avoids the technical tone of 'assimilate'
- incorporated item
more explicit about the process of being made part of a system
用法筆記
A rare noun use found mostly in academic writing, particularly in anthropology, biology, and linguistics. The plural 'assimilates' is uncommon; the singular form is preferred.