Inoculate (verb)
in·oc·u·late [ih-nok-yuh-leyt]
verb (used with object), in·oc·u·lat·ed, in·oc·u·lat·ing.
1. to implant (a disease agent or antigen) in a person, animal, or plant to produce a disease for study or to stimulate disease resistance.
2. to affect or treat (a person, animal, or plant) in this manner.
3. to introduce (microorganisms) into surroundings suited to their growth, as a culture medium.
4. to imbue (a person), as with ideas.
5. Metallurgy. to treat (molten metal) chemically to strengthen the microstructure.
verb (used without object), in·oc·u·lat·ed, in·oc·u·lat·ing.
6. to perform inoculation.
Related forms
in·oc·u·la·tive [ih- nok -yuh -ley-tiv, -yuh-luh-] /ɪˈnɒk yəˌleɪ tɪv, -yə lə-/ , adjective
in·oc·u·la·tor , noun
non·in·oc·u·la·tive , adjective
re·in·oc·u·late , verb, re·in·oc·u·lat·ed, re·in·oc·u·lat·ing.
self-in·oc·u·lat·ed , adjective
un·in·oc·u·lat·ed , adjective
un·in·oc·u·la·tive , adjective
Related Words for inoculate
vaccinate, inject, protect
Synonyms
See more synonyms for inoculate on Thesaurus.com
4. indoctrinate, infuse.
Origin: 1400–50; late Middle English < Latin inoculatus past participle of inoculare to graft by budding, implant, equivalent to in- in- + -ocula- (stem of -oculare to graft, derivative of oculus eye, bud) + -tus past participle suffix
Examples from the Web for inoculate
Contemporary Examples of inoculate
The commander of the Continental Army realized that if he did not inoculate his army against smallpox, he might not have an army.
The Daily Beast logo
George Washington, the First Vaxxer
Tom Shachtman
October 5, 2014
But even before adults enter their senior years, children are not a surefire way to inoculate against loneliness.
The Daily Beast logo
Why Parents Can Still End Up Lonely
Keli Goff
June 9, 2014
The ensuing hysteria persuaded some parents not to inoculate their kids for fear of triggering autism.
The Daily Beast logo
Twitter Crushes Anti-Vaccination Queen Jenny McCarthy
The Daily Beast
March 15, 2014
A deeply-held belief in moral integrity does not inoculate one from mistakes, weakness and failure.
The Daily Beast logo
Petraeus Affair Stereotypes: The General, The Flirt And The Harlot
Robin Givhan
November 15, 2012
First, the two sides understood that minimal advance assurances were needed to inoculate the meeting against a debacle.
The Daily Beast logo
Winston Lord and Leslie H. Gelb: Nixon’s China Opening, 40 Years Later
Winston Lord, Leslie H. Gelb
February 20, 2012
Historical Examples of inoculate
Can we not inoculate them with smallpox, or set bloodhounds to track them?
Canada: the Empire of the North
Agnes C. Laut
We inoculate in him a bad spirit whose effects then turn against us.
The Simple Life
Charles Wagner
But it was decided to divide them into two equal groups, and inoculate one group.
Experiments on Animals
Stephen Paget
It costs considerable, but a little of it will inoculate a large area.
The Foolish Almanak
Anonymous
Formerly it was the custom to inoculate with small-pox to preserve from small-pox.
Louis Pasteur
Ren Vallery-Radot
