What does macerated mean?
Macerated describes something that has been softened, crushed, or broken down through moisture, heat, pressure, or prolonged treatment. In cooking, the term commonly refers to food, especially fruit or vegetables, that has become tender and liquid-rich, often after soaking in a flavored liquid. In biology and medicine, it can describe tissue weakened or broken down by disease, decay, or exposure. The word may also be used more generally for a person or place that appears physically depleted, though this usage is formal and can sound severe. Macerated comes from the same Latin root as macerate, and its culinary associations are especially familiar. It is a precise word for a change in texture or physical condition that may otherwise be described more generally as softening, crushing, or weakening.
Softened, crushed, or broken down by moisture, heat, pressure, or prolonged treatment; physically weakened or depleted.
"The macerated fruit was spooned over the dessert."
Most common in culinary, biological, and medical contexts.
Past tense and past participle of macerate: to soak, soften, or crush something, especially by moisture or prolonged treatment.
"The cook macerated the lentils overnight in a seasoned broth."
The passive form is common in recipes and scientific descriptions.
Maceration began as a way of drawing useful substances from plant matter, turning tough material into something soft and extractable.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does macerated come from?
The word derives from Latin macerare, meaning “to make soft” or “to soften,” especially by soaking or crushing. English borrowed the related forms macerate and maceration, while macerated developed as the past participle and adjective of macerate. The Latin root also underlies emaciate, meaning to make thin or wasted, and appears in the history of the word emaciated.
Related word forms
How macerated is actually used
The word is most natural in cooking, biology, medicine, and descriptions of physical deterioration. In the sense of weakened by illness or starvation, it is relatively formal and can sound harsh or clinical.
Easily confused with macerated
Macerated means softened, crushed, or weakened by moisture or processing, whereas macerate is the verb that describes causing this condition.