domesticate
duh-MES-tih-kayt
/dəˈmestɪkeɪt/
To tame an animal or adapt a plant to live in close association with human beings.
Refers to a multi-generational evolutionary process of genetic adaptation, not just training a single wild animal to be friendly.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'domesticus', meaning 'belonging to the household', which itself comes from 'domus' (house). To domesticate an animal is, quite literally, to bring it into the house.
Word relationships
- tame: 'Tame' refers to making an individual wild animal docile, whereas 'domesticate' refers to changing an entire species over generations.
- wilden: 'Wilden' or 'make wild' refers to returning a species or individual to its natural, untamed state.
Commonly confused with
- train: 'Train' is to teach specific behaviors, while 'domesticate' is to genetically adapt a species for human coexistence.
Word family
- domestication (noun): The process of domesticating or state of being domesticated.
- domestic (adjective): Relating to the running of a home or to animals kept by humans.
Collocations
- domesticate animals
- fully domesticated
- attempt to domesticate
Example sentences
- "It took thousands of years for early humans to domesticate the wild ancestors of modern dogs." Historical analysis of human civilization
- "Man has no power of altering the absolute conditions of life; he cannot domesticate a species without placing it under new conditions." Scientific writing on evolutionary biology (Charles Darwin, The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication)
Memory hook
Think of 'domestic' chores done in the house ('domus'). To domesticate is to make an animal fit for the house. Domus = House
When not to use
Do not use 'domesticate' when you simply mean 'to train' a single pet to do tricks or behave in the house.
Fun facts
- Dogs were the very first species to be domesticated by humans, long before agriculture, sheep, or cattle.
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