assimilableadj.n.
/əˈsɪmɪləb(ə)l/ A. adj.
1. That may be appropriated as nourishment.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > absorption or assimilation (of a substance, etc.) > [adjective] > absorbed > that can be absorbed
assimilable1667
1667 R. Boyle Origine Formes & Qualities (ed. 2) Such assimilable juices.
1859 G. H. Lewes Sea-side Stud. 208 Very simple organisms find assimilable food in the element they live in.
2. That may be likened or compared to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > [adjective] > capable of comparison
comparable1413
comparative1632
consortablea1639
commensurable1654
collatablea1834
assimilable1849
equatable1893
1849–52 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. IV. i. 107/2 This intrinsic change seems assimilable to that effecting softening of fibrinous clots in the veins.
1862 H. Spencer First Princ. i. v. §30. 106 Agencies less assimilable to the familiar agencies of men and animals.
B. n.
That which is assimilable.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > [noun] > person or thing compared
comparativec1470
comparisona1500
assimilable1646
comparate1657
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 386 Meeting no assimilables wherein to react their natures. View more context for this quotation
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1885; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adj.n.1646