macerate in WordNet English dictionary

1. cause to grow thin or weak
   "The treatment emaciated him"
   waste  emaciate  macerate 
   
2. soften, usually by steeping in liquid, and cause to disintegrate as a result
   "macerate peaches"; "the gizzards macerates the food in the digestive system"
   macerate 
   
3. become soft or separate and disintegrate as a result of excessive soaking
   "the tissue macerated in the water"
   macerate 
   
4. separate into constituents by soaking
   macerate