verb
impregnate
IHMP-rehg-nayt
verb
1
To make a woman or female animal pregnant.
"The breeding programme aims to impregnate the female pandas at the right time of year."
2
To soak, fill, or saturate a material thoroughly with a substance.
"The wood was impregnated with a preservative to stop it rotting."
"The fabric is impregnated with a chemical that repels insects."
How to Use Impregnate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo make pregnant, or to thoroughly soak/fill a material with something.
Common pairings
impregnate with
impregnated wood
impregnated fabric
Word Forms
more impregnate comparative, impregnated past tense, impregnates singular, most impregnate superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “impregnate”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The breeding programme aims to _____ the female pandas at the right time of year.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin impraegnatus, past participle of impraegno, built from in- + praegnans ("pregnant").