Dissimilation

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Dissimilation \Dis*sim`i*la"tion\, n.
     The act of making dissimilar. --H. Sweet.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:



  dissimilation
       n 1: a linguistic process by which one of two similar sounds in a
            word becomes less like the other; "the Old French MARBRE
            became the English MARBLE by dissimilation"
       2: breakdown of more complex substances into simpler ones with
          release of energy [syn: {catabolism}, {katabolism}, {destructive
          metabolism}] [ant: {anabolism}]