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Origin and history of impregnate

impregnate(v.)

c. 1600, "to fill with an ingredient, spirit, etc.;" 1640s as "make (a female) pregnant," from Late Latin impraegnatus "pregnant," past participle of impraegnare "to render pregnant," from assimilated form of in- "into, in" (from PIE root *en "in") + praegnare "make pregnant" (see pregnant). Earlier in same sense was impregn (1530s), which OED marks as "now only in poetic use."

also from c. 1600

Entries linking to impregnate

pregnant(adj.2)

["convincing, weighty, pithy, full of meaning"] late 14c., "cogent, convincing, compelling" (of evidence, an argument, etc.); c. 1400 as "full of meaning;" from Old French preignant "pregnant, pithy, ready capable," which is probably from Latin praegnans "with child, pregnant, full" and thus the same word as pregnant (adj.1).

All uses seem to be derivable from the sense of "with child." But in some sources this English pregnant has been referred to French prenant, present participle of prendre "to take," or to the French present participle of preindre "press, squeeze, stamp, crush," from earlier priembre, from Latin premere "to press, hold fast, cover, crowd, compress." The two English adjectives are so confused as to be practically one word, if they were not always so.

impregnation(n.)

late 14c., "making or becoming pregnant," from Old French impregnacion or directly from Late Latin impregnationem (nominative impregnatio), noun of action from past participle stem of impraegnare "to impregnate" (see impregnate).

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saturate
1530s, "to satisfy, satiate, fill full" (senses now obsolete), from Latin saturatus, past participle of saturare "to fill full, sate, drench," from satur "sated, full" (from PIE root *sa- "to satisfy"). In chemistry, the meaning "to impregnate or unite with until no more can be r
tincture
c. 1400, "a coloring, dye," from Latin tinctura "act of dyeing or tingeing," from tinctus "dye," past participle of tingere "to tinge, dye, soak in color," originally merely "to moisten, wet, soak," from PIE root *teng- "to soak" (source also of Old High German dunkon "to soak,"
knock up
1660s, "arouse by knocking at the door," from knock (v.) + up (adv.). However it is little used in this sense in American English, where the phrase means "get a woman pregnant" (1813, in a New Jersey context), possibly ultimately from knock in a sense "to copulate with" (1590s; c
scent
The transitive sense "impregnate with an odor, make fragrant, perfume" is from 1690s. Related: Scented; scenting....
inseminate
Meaning "to impregnate with semen" is attested from 1897....
imbue
early 15c., "to keep wet; to soak, saturate;" also figuratively "to cause to absorb" (feelings, opinions, etc.), from Latin imbuere "moisten, wet, soak, saturate," figuratively "to fill; to taint," a word of uncertain origin, perhaps from the same root as imbrication. Compare als
charge
early 13c., chargen, "to load, put a burden on or in; fill with something to be retained," from Old French chargier "to load, burden, weigh down," from Late Latin carricare "to load a wagon or cart," from Latin carrus "two-wheeled wagon" (see car). The senses of "entrust," "comma
soak
Middle English soken, from Old English socian (intransitive) "to soak, to lie in liquid," from Proto-Germanic *sukon (source also of West Flemish soken), possibly from PIE root *seue- (2) "to take liquid" (see sup (v.2)). The Old English word is a secondary form of sucan (past pa
inoculate
mid-15c., "implant a bud into a plant," from Latin inoculatus, past participle of inoculare "graft in, implant a bud or eye of one plant into another," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + oculus "bud," originally "eye" (from PIE root *okw- "to see"). Meaning "implant germs o
imbrue
early 15c., "to soak, steep;" mid-15c., "to stain, soil," from Old French embruer "to moisten," which probably is a metathesis of embevrer "give to drink, make drunk," from em- (see em-) + -bevrer, ultimately from Latin bibere "to drink" (from PIE root *po(i)- "to drink"). Or per

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