inoculate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to introduce a vaccine or antigen into a person or animal in order to produce immunity

   The medical team inoculated the villagers against yellow fever.

2. 2
   verb

   microbiology: to introduce microorganisms, cells, or other material into a culture medium or organism

   The researcher inoculated the sterile broth with the bacterial strain.

3. 3
   verb

   horticulture: to graft a bud or shoot onto a plant

   The gardener inoculated the young tree with a bud from the older variety.

4. 4
   verb

   figurative: to instill an idea or attitude in someone, especially as protection against contrary influence

   The course aims to inoculate students against misleading statistical claims.

Simplified etymology

Inoculate comes from Latin inoculare, “to graft,” formed from in-, “into,” and oculus, “eye” or “bud.” In late medieval English it referred to grafting a bud or shoot onto another plant. From the early 18th century it was applied medically, at first to inoculation against smallpox.

From Latin inoculare, 'graft a bud into a plant,' formed from in-, 'into,' + oculus, 'eye or bud.' The horticultural image was extended to deliberately introducing infectious material, then to vaccination, laboratory cultures, and figurative protection from ideas.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary