v.tr. 1 fill with moisture; soak thoroughly. 2 (often foll. by with) fill to capacity. 3 cause (a substance, solution, vapour, metal, or air) to absorb, hold, or combine with the greatest possible amount of another substance, or of moisture, magnetism, electricity, etc. 4 cause (a substance) to combine with the maximum amount of another substance. 5 supply (a market) beyond the point at which the demand for a product is satisfied. 6 (foll. by with, in) imbue with or steep in (learning, tradition, prejudice, etc.). 7 overwhelm (enemy defences, a target area, etc.) by concentrated bombing. 8 (as saturated adj.) a (of colour) full; rich; free from an admixture of white. b (of fat molecules) containing the greatest number of hydrogen atoms. saturate adj. literary. saturable adj. saturant n. & adj.
[ L saturare f. satur full ]