macerate
/ˈmæs.ə.ɹeɪt/verb, noun
macerate is spelled M-A-C-E-R-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 31 million words in written English, the 169,822nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, macerate means “To soften (something) or separate it into pieces by (or as if by) soaking it in a heated or unheated liquid” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in macerate?
| Letters | 8: M-A-C-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 31 million words; the 169,822nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is macerate?
Macerate appears about once in every 31 million words in written English, the 169,822nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce macerate?
- US /ˈmæs.ə.ɹeɪt/
As a noun (“A macerated substance”): /ˈmæs.ə.ɹɪt/.
Macerate has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-macerate.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-macerate2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with macerate?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as macerate (/æsəɹeɪt/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: racemate.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of macerate
- macerates present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- macerating participle, present
- macerated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does macerate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To soften (something) or separate it into pieces by (or as if by) soaking it in a heated or unheated liquid.
- 2
To reduce solids to small pieces (in a macerator).
Near-synonyms: comminute, crush, pulverize
- 3
archaicTo make lean; to cause to waste away.
Baal scuttles with ten tails Between as many legs as he could carry– Perhaps Thomas poking through the holes And finding resolution beyond the scales And incorporeal pain of the hammered Messiah,
- 4
obsoleteTo subdue the appetite by poor or scanty diet; to mortify.
- 5
obsoleteTo mortify the flesh in general.
- 6
obsoletepast participle of macerate
noun
- 1
A macerated substance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Macerate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to soften or separate by immersion in a liquid:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does macerate come from?
First attested in 1534; borrowed from Latin mācerātus, perfect passive participle of mācerō (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), from Proto-Indo-European *mag-, *mak- (“to knead”), whence make. Cognate with French macérer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).