saturate
Definitions
To soak something thoroughly with liquid.
使浸透，使湿透。
To fill something completely so it can hold no more.
使充满，使饱和。
To supply a market with so much of a product that demand is met or exceeded.
使（市场）饱和。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedsatur ('full, glutted') + -ate (verb-forming) = 'to make full.' Latin saturare meant to fill or glut. To saturate is to take something to its absolute limit — a sponge that can soak up no more water, a market with no room for another seller, a chemical solution holding all the solute it possibly can.
Root sat still carries 42 more wordsWhy It Means This
The original image is purely physical: liquid soaking into something until it overflows. English then carried that 'full to capacity' picture into business (saturate the market), media (the airwaves are saturated with ads), and chemistry (a saturated solution). Every use shares one test: can it hold any more? If not, it's saturated.
Common Collocations
- 1.saturate the market使市场饱和
- 2.saturate with water用水浸透
- 3.saturate the soil使土壤饱和
- 4.fully saturate充分浸透
Example Sentences
- 1.
Heavy rain quickly saturated the soil in the garden.
- 2.
Cheap imports have saturated the local market.
- 3.
Soak the cloth until it is completely saturated.