saturate
/ˈsæt͡ʃəˌɹeɪt/verb, noun, adjective
saturate is spelled S-A-T-U-R-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,775th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, saturate means “To cause to become completely permeated with, or soaked (especially with a liquid)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in saturate?
| Letters | 8: S-A-T-U-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,775th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is saturate?
Saturate appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,775th 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 saturate?
- /ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/
- /ˈsæt͡ʃəˌɹeɪt/
- US /ˈsæt͡ʃəˌɹeɪt/
As a noun (“Something saturated, especially a saturated fat”): /ˈsatjʊɹət/, /ˈsæt͡ʃəɹət/, /ˈsæt͡ʃəɹət/.
Saturate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-saturate.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-saturate2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of saturate
- saturates present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- saturating participle, present
- saturated participle, past
- more saturate comparative
- most saturate superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does saturate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To cause to become completely permeated with, or soaked (especially with a liquid).
Rain saturated their clothes.
- 2
To fill thoroughly or to excess.
Modern television is saturated with violence.
- 3
To satisfy the affinity of; to cause a substance to become inert by chemical combination with all that it can hold.
One can saturate phosphorus with chlorine.
- 4
To render pure, or of a colour free from white light.
noun
- 1
Something saturated, especially a saturated fat.
adjective
- 1
Saturated, wet, soaked.
- 2
Dripping with, covered with, exuding (something) [with with].
- 3
Very intense.
saturate green
- 4
obsoleteSatisfied, satiated.
- 5
obsoleteComplete, perfect.
- 6
obsoleteSaturated.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Saturate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 saturate come from?
The adjective is first attested in the second part of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English, the verb in 1538, the noun in 1921; inherited from Middle English saturat(e) (“satiated, satisfied”), borrowed from Latin saturātus, perfect passive participle of saturō (“to fill, satisfy, quench”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), from satur (“full”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).