Inoculate
Inoculate , transitive verb
[Latin inoculatus, past participle of inoculare to ingraft; pref. in- in, on + oculare to furnish with eyes, from 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.
2.
To insert a foreign bud into; as, to inoculate a tree.
3.
(Medicine) 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.
4.
Figuratively: To introduce into the mind; -- used especially of harmful ideas or principles; to imbue; as, to inoculate one with treason or infidelity.
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.
Inoculate , intransitive verb
1.
To graft by inserting buds.
2.
To communicate disease by inoculation.