0 present participle of macerate
1 to leave food in a liquid so that it absorbs the liquid and becomes soft, or to become soft in this way:
Mix together all the ingredients and leave them to macerate in the fridge overnight.
Non-permeable polymers such as polyvinylidine and polyethylene can be macerating to normal skin.
Internal casts were obtained by macerating the specimens in a 20% hydrochloric acid bath.
For instance, macerating could involve the adding of alcohol to a substance, allowing it to stand, and then filtering off the residue for consumption.
I do not myself know what the effect of macerating the herb would be, nor why there is any particular objection to its being infused in some way.
Pure vanilla extract is made by macerating and percolating vanilla beans in a solution of ethyl alcohol and water.
Gems or metals are purified to remove impurities and treated by triturating and macerating in herbal extracts.
Birds do not have teeth, relying instead on other means of gripping and macerating their food.
Also, macerating toilets, which use a grinding or blending mechanism to reduce human waste to a slurry, which can then be moved by pumping.