domesticate

domesticate — verb

1. to take wild plants and animals and gradually change them over many generations

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to take wild plants and animals and gradually change them over many generations so that they can live alongside humans and serve as a source of food, labour, or companionship.

Example

The early farmers learned to domesticate wild goats for their milk and meat.

Over thousands of years, humans domesticated wolves into the dogs we know today.

passive construction: domesticated [species] into [modern form]

Common collocations
  • domesticate animals
  • domesticate plants
  • domesticate a species
  • domesticate crops
  • first domesticated
  • newly domesticated
Synonyms
  • tame

    refers to making a single wild animal calm around humans, not altering a whole species over time

  • cultivate

    used for plants only; focuses on preparing land and growing crops

  • breed

    selectively mating specific individuals for desired traits; domestication includes breeding but is a broader process

Antonyms
  • wild

    the opposite of domesticated; living in a natural state

Grammar Patterns

domesticate + noun phrase

be domesticated (by humans)

Usage Note

Subject is typically a human society or group acting over a long period, not a single individual. The object names a whole species or plant type, not an individual creature. Frequently appears in archaeology, biology, and agriculture writing.

Common Mistakes

We should domesticate this stray cat.
We should tame this stray cat.
'domesticate' refers to changing an entire species over generations; 'tame' is used for a single animal.

2. to teach a person the practical skills needed for running a home — such as cooki

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to teach a person the practical skills needed for running a home — such as cooking, cleaning, or managing a household — or to help someone develop a liking for home life.

Example

Defne joked that living with a roommate had domesticated her — she now cleans every weekend.

phrasal pattern: [experience] domesticated [person]

After years of living alone, Jason became surprisingly domesticated and even started baking bread.

phrasal pattern: become domesticated

Common collocations
  • become domesticated
  • fully domesticated
  • domesticate someone
Synonyms
  • civilise

    broader in meaning — making someone more refined overall, not just in home skills

  • settle down

    phrasal verb meaning to adopt a stable home life, but not focused on learning home skills

Grammar Patterns

domesticate + person

become domesticated

Usage Note

Often appears in the passive or as 'become domesticated' to describe personal change. Can carry a light or ironic tone, especially when referring to someone who unexpectedly enjoys home routines. This sense is far less common than the agricultural meaning.

Common Mistakes

The course domesticated the kitchen.
The course domesticated the students so they could manage a home.
'domesticate' a person, not a place or object.

domesticate — noun

Word family

  • domestic
    adjectiveB1
  • domestication
    nounB2
  • domesticated
    adjectiveB2
  • domesticity
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve humans working with plants or animals, but they differ in scope and timescale. 'Tame' means making a single wild animal calm enough to handle — it is an individual process that can happen in hours or days. 'Domesticate' is far broader: it describes changing an entire species over many generations through selective breeding so that the population becomes genetically different from its wild ancestors. 'Cultivate' is specific to plants and means preparing soil, planting, and caring for crops. 'Breed' focuses on choosing which individual animals or plants to reproduce in order to encourage certain traits. For example, a farmer might tame a single wolf pup, but early humans domesticated wolves into dogs over thousands of years by breeding the calmest individuals generation after generation.

tame ↗cultivate ↗breed ↗domesticate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • selective breeding
  • human control

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'domesticus' meaning 'belonging to the household', which comes from 'domus' meaning 'house'. The word entered English in the 1500s, first referring to making someone home-loving, and was later extended to the taming of wild plants and animals for human use.