assimilation
as.sim.i.la.tion \*-.sim-*-'la--sh*n\ n 1a: an act, process, or instance of assimilating 1b: the state of being assimilated 2: the incorporation or conversion of nutrients into protoplasm that in ani mals follows digestion and absorption and in higher plants involves both photosynthesis and root absorption 3: adaptation of a sound to an adjacent sound {in the word cupboard the /p/ sound of the word cup has undergone complete ~}