1. To make soft by soaking or steeping in a liquid.
2. To separate into constituents by soaking.
3. To cause to become lean, usually by starvation; emaciate.
v.intr.
To become soft or separated into constituents by soaking: “His winemaker allowed the juice and skins of the white grapes to macerate together overnight before pressing”(Gerald Asher).
n.(-t)
A substance prepared or produced by macerating.
[Latin mcerre, mcert-; see mag- in Indo-European roots.]
macerate – soften, usually by steeping in liquid, and cause to disintegrate as a result; “macerate peaches”; “the gizzards macerates the food in the digestive system”
soften – make soft or softer; “This liquid will soften your laundry”
4.
macerate – cause to grow thin or weak; “The treatment emaciated him”
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