1. The
act or process of assimilating or bringing to a resemblance, likeness, or identity; also, the state of
being so assimilated; as, the
assimilation of one
sound to other. "To
aspire to an
assimilation with God." (Dr. H. More) "The
assimilation of
gases and vapors." (Sir J. Herschel)
2.
The transformation of nutriment into the fluid or solid stuff of the body, by the processes of digestion and absorption, whether in plants or animals. "Not conversing the body, not repairing it by assimilation, but preserving it by ventilation." (Sir T. Browne)
The term assimilation has been limited by some to the final process by which the nutritive matter of the blood is converted into the stuff of the tissues and organs.
Origin: L. Assimilatio: cf. F. Assimilation.
Source: Websters Vocabulary