macerate

/ˈmæsəˌreɪt/
verb
  1. To soften or break down something by soaking it in a liquid, especially in cooking or food preparation.
    • You can macerate fresh herbs in olive oil to infuse the oil with flavor.
    • She let the dried fruit macerate in rum overnight before adding it to the cake batter.
    • The recipe says to macerate the strawberries in sugar and lemon juice for an hour.
  2. To become soft or disintegrate as a result of being soaked in a liquid.
    • The old leather boots macerated in the damp basement over the winter.
    • The paper towels began to macerate after sitting in the puddle of water for too long.
    • If you leave the bread in the soup too long, it will macerate and turn mushy.
What does "macerate" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean