asimilar

to assimilate

asimilar(ah-see-mee-lahr)

transitive verb

1. (to comprehend)

a. to assimilate

Todavía no asimilo toda la nueva información.

I haven't assimilated all the new information yet.

b. to take in

Lucía aún no asimila la noticia del accidente.

Lucía hasn't taken in the news about the accident yet.

c. to absorb

Pablo asimiló de inmediato todo lo que dijo el maestro.

Pablo immediately absorbed everything the teacher said.

2. (to incorporate into the body)

a. to assimilate

Si el cuerpo del paciente no asimila el medicamento, será necesario operarlo.

If the patient's body fails to assimilate the medicine, an operation will be required.

b. to absorb

Un cuerpo sano asimila los nutrientes que necesita.

A healthy body absorbs the nutrients it needs.

3. (to make equal)

a. to put on an equal footing

Buscamos asimilar los derechos laborales de los extranjeros con los de los ciudadanos.

We're trying to put the working rights of foreigners on an equal footing with those of citizens.

4. (phonology)

a. to assimilate

Ya sea que estén en contacto o distantes, los fonemas se pueden asimilar.

Phonemes can be assimilated no matter whether they're close together or far apart.

asimilarse

pronominal verb

5. (to look like; used with "a")

a. to resemble

Nuestra economía se asimila a la de un país emergente.

Our economy resembles that of a developing country.

b. to be similar to

La popularidad de este atleta se asimila a la de cualquier estrella cinematográfica.

The popularity of this athlete is similar to that of any movie star.

c. to be like

Tus síntomas se asimilan a los que tuve cuando me dio apendicitis.

Your symptoms are like ones I had when I had appendicitis.

6. (phonology)

a. to become assimilated

Cuando un fonema toma rasgos de otro, se puede decir que se asimiló.

When a phoneme takes on features of another one, it can be said to have become assimilated.