domestication

[ duh-mes-ti-key-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or process of taming an animal for human use or companionship:

   Shortly after their domestication as companions, dogs were put to use as weapons of war.

2. the act or process of adapting a plant to cultivation or converting it to household use:

   The domestication of modern wheat from wild grasses occurred in the Fertile Crescent and fueled the development of Indo-European culture.

3. the act or process of making someone accustomed to household life or affairs:

   When my friend and former business partner not only got married but became pregnant, I saw it as yet another step in her domestication.

4. the act or process of making a strange or challenging person or thing more familiar and acceptable:

   The author resists domestication of Nietzsche's philosophy, restoring the shock of his style and thought and interpreting him as a revolutionary philosopher.

Word History and Origins

Origin of domestication¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin domesticāt-, stem of domesticāre “to dwell in a house” ( domesticate ( def ) ) + -ion ( def )

Example Sentences

But the new research shows that the shrinking genetic diversity associated with domestication happened much faster in horses.

From Seattle Times

"Up to now relatively little has been known, however, about how the root system developed over this period of domestication and afterwards."

From Science Daily

A little more than 10,000 years ago, they cleared the hurdle with one of the most transformative innovations in history: plant and animal domestication.

From Salon

No breed stood out, and all were bested on the same tests by wolves and coyotes-perhaps, the study's authors say, because domestication slackened the evolutionary pressure for a sharp olfactory sense to find food.

From Science Magazine

Having a strong sense of smell can be metabolically costly, Bird notes, so it’s possible that domestication and reliance on humans for food slackened the evolutionary pressure to maintain such a sharp olfactory edge.

From Science Magazine

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