- Inoculating
- Inoculate In*oc"u*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Inoculated}; p.
pr. & vb. n. {Inoculating}.] [L. inoculatus, p. p. of
inoculare to ingraft; pref. in- in, on + oculare to furnish
with eyes, fr. oculus an eye, also, a bud. See {Ocular}.]
1. To bud; to insert, or graft, as the bud of a tree or plant
in another tree or plant.
[1913 Webster]
2. To insert a foreign bud into; as, to inoculate a tree. [1913 Webster]
3. (Med.) To communicate a disease to (a person) by inserting infectious matter in the skin or flesh, especially as a means of inducing immunological resistance to that or related diseases; as, to inoculate a person with the virus of smallpox, rabies, etc. See {Vaccinate}. [1913 Webster +PJC]
4. Fig.: To introduce into the mind; -- used especially of harmful ideas or principles; to imbue; as, to inoculate one with treason or infidelity. [1913 Webster]
5. (Microbiology) To introduce microorganisms into (a growth medium), to cause the growth and multiplication of the microorganisms; as, to inoculate a fermentation vat with an actinomycete culture in order to produce streptomycin. [PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
