If you think you see a connection between inoculate and ocular ("of or relating to the eye"), you are not mistaken—both words look back to oculus, the Latin word for "eye." But what does the eye have to do with inoculation? Our answer lies in the original use of inoculate in Middle English: "to insert a bud in a plant for propagation." Latin oculus was sometimes applied to things that were seen to resemble eyes, and one such thing was the bud of a plant. Inoculate was later applied to other forms of engrafting or implanting, including the introduction of vaccines as a preventative against disease.
infuse implies a pouring in of something that gives new life or significance.
new members infused enthusiasm into the club
suffuse implies a spreading through of something that gives an unusual color or quality.
a room suffused with light
imbue implies the introduction of a quality that fills and permeates the whole being.
imbue students with intellectual curiosity
ingrain, used only in the passive or past participle, suggests the deep implanting of a quality or trait.
clung to ingrained habits
inoculate implies an imbuing or implanting with a germinal idea and often suggests stealth or subtlety.
an electorate inoculated with dangerous ideas
leaven implies introducing something that enlivens, tempers, or markedly alters the total quality.
a serious play leavened with comic moments
Example Sentences
inoculated them with the idea that the individual can always make a difference in this world
Recent Examples on the WebHealth experts have faulted the government for not planning for such a scenario despite warnings and failing to inoculate this vulnerable population.Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2022 In Chile, where the government has secured contracts to inoculate its entire population twice, the vaccine is expected to arrive as early as this week, President Sebastian Pinera said. Amy Stillman, Bloomberg.com, 22 Dec. 2020 To that end, billions of doses were reserved before any had been approved for use, with many countries claiming enough to inoculate their population several times over. Yasmeen Serhan, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2020 Arwady also shared new guidance that will allow the current monkeypox vaccine stock to inoculate five times more people per vial. Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2022 That stark scene played out as coronavirus vaccines arrived and California and Los Angeles moved aggressively to inoculate people.Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2021 The program, announced Sunday by the Department of Health and Social Care, is designed to boost the vaccination rate among adults under 30 as Britain races to inoculate as many people as possible before colder weather arrives. Danica Kirka, Star Tribune, 1 Aug. 2021 When vaccines became available, mobile clinics were sent to inoculate people who wanted it.Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2022 Global policy experts said that the emergence of omicron in southern Africa, where vaccination rates lag behind Western nations, underscores the need to inoculate people in all regions and curb the risk of new outbreaks and variants.Anchorage Daily News, 28 Nov. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, to insert a bud in a plant, from Latin inoculatus, past participle of inoculare, from in- + oculus eye, bud — more at eye