immersion

Everyday

1. Immersion is putting something completely under water or another liquid. tree →
2. (church) Baptism by immersion means dipping a person fully under water, as some churches do. tree →
3. Being deeply involved in something, such as learning a language by living in it: «language immersion». tree →
4. (UK, Ireland) An immersion (heater) is an electric heater in a water tank that heats hot water. tree →

In the lessons

In science, immersion of an object in water shows whether it floats or sinks and lets you measure volume. In religious education Baptist churches baptise by full immersion. In schools, «immersion» classes teach children wholly in another language (French immersion in Canada, Irish in Gaelscoileanna). Phrases: «total immersion», «French immersion», «turn on the immersion».

Examples

• Immersion in water makes a sponge heavy. tree →
• We measured the stone's volume by immersion in a jug of water. tree →
• Some churches baptise by full immersion in a pool. tree →
• My cousin goes to a French immersion school in Canada. tree →
• Turn on the immersion if you want a hot bath. (UK, Ireland) tree →
• The book's immersion in the world of dragons kept me reading. tree →
• Total immersion is a fast way to learn a language. tree →

Note

Mostly uncountable. Verb: immerse; adjective: immersive. Science maths: the rise in water level when an object is fully immersed equals the object's volume (e.g. water rises from 200 ml to 250 ml, so the object is 50 cubic centimetres).