SATURATE


Meaning of SATURATE in English

/ ˈsætʃəreɪt; NAmE / verb [ vn ]

1.

(often technical ) to make sth completely wet

SYN soak :

The continuous rain had saturated the soil.

2.

[ often passive ] saturate sth/sb (with / in sth) to fill sth/sb completely with sth so that it is impossible or useless to add any more :

The company had saturated the market for personal organizers (= so that no new buyers could be found) .

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WORD ORIGIN

late Middle English (as an adjective in the sense satisfied ): from Latin saturat- filled, glutted, from the verb saturare , from satur full. The early sense of the verb (mid 16th cent.) was satisfy .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.