immersion

[ ih-mur-zhuhn, -shuhn ]

noun

1. an act or instance of immersing.
2. state of being immersed. immersed.
3. state of being deeply engaged or involved; absorption.
4. baptism in which the whole body of the person is submerged in the water.
5. Also called ingress. Astronomy. the entrance of a heavenly body into an eclipse by another body, an occultation, or a transit. Compare emersion ( def 1 ).

adjective

1. concentrating on one course of instruction, subject, or project to the exclusion of all others for several days or weeks; intensive:

   an immersion course in conversational French.

Other Words From

• nonim·mersion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of immersion¹

1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin immersiōn- (stem of immersiō ) a dipping in. See immerse, -ion

Example Sentences

Not just big breaks — I'm talking about that immersion in that school was what brought me here.

From Salon

He said he had limited swimming experience, though he previously crossed the Bering Strait by navigating moving lumps of ice while wearing an immersion suit and armed with a gun to fight off polar bears.

From BBC

As an anguished artist and family man pushed to confront unresolved pain, the great André Holland moves through “Exhibiting Forgiveness” like someone who doesn’t just work with paint, but would just as soon submerge himself it, like an immersion chamber, if it kept his wounds from opening further.

From Los Angeles Times

Norfolk Coroner's Court heard she died by immersion and drowning.

From BBC

Wendy Ramirez, co-founder of online learning website Spanish Sin Pena, saw firsthand how música Mexicana affected her students — many of whom are of Latin American descent — during a recent language immersion trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, organized by her company.

From Los Angeles Times