Macerate / verb / mac·er·ate

The definition of macerate means to rub or strike with a hard object as if pounding something. Macerate can mean doing anything from rubbing the skin with lotion, to hitting something repeatedly.

We can use the word macerate to represent these actions in cooking or preparing foods with cooking utensils like meat tenderizers. Macerate can also apply to the actions of striking or pounding objects outside of the kitchen circumstances of everyday life. The secondary definition of macerate represents the act of slowly withering or wasting away.

In a Sentence

The jackhammer macerated the solid concrete until the construction crew was able to break through and repair the underground gas leak.

I was going to macerate the vegetables, but then I remembered that we already had a recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic and lemon that used the same ingredients.

The chef at the five-star restaurant macerated the high-quality cuts of beef before serving them to restaurant guests.

Etymology

The word macerate comes from the Latin verb macera, meaning to pound or rub. Historians say the earliest known use of macerate in English began sometime during the 14th century.

Synonyms

Rub, Pound

Antonyms

Absorb, Wet