# saturate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/ · frequency rank #49,033

## Definitions
1. To cause to become completely permeated with, or soaked (especially with a liquid).
2. To fill thoroughly or to excess.
3. To satisfy the affinity of; to cause a substance to become inert by chemical combination with all that it can hold.
4. To render pure, or of a colour free from white light.

## Etymology
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).

## Easily confused with
- **saturated** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/saturate-vs-saturated)

## Common misspellings (11)
`asturate`, `satruate`, `satturate`, `satuarte`, `saturaet`, `saturatte`, `saturrate`, `saturtae`, `sautrate`, `ssaturate`, `staurate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/saturate