inoculate
3 synonyms for inoculate, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To put a vaccine or other substance that triggers an immune response into a body or person, so as to bring about resistance to a particular illness.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
First attested in c. 1440; inherited from Middle English inoculaten (“to graft”), from Latin inoculātus, perfect passive participle of inoculō (“to ingraft an eye or bud of one plant into (another), implant”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + oculus (“an eye”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).
Full origin of inoculate →