ScienceSeptember 1, 2026
acclimatization
uh-KLY-muh-tuh-ZAY-shun
Definition
The process of adapting to a new environment or climate, or the organized introduction of non-native species to a new geographical area.
Etymology
Derived from the French 'acclimatation' and the Greek 'klima' (climate), referring to the process of adapting to a new region.
In the news
The article uses this term to describe 19th-century societies that intentionally imported and released European birds across North America to populate the landscape with familiar species.
In 1852 the Brooklyn Institute released eight pairs of house sparrows to eat the caterpillars stripping the borough's shade trees, and topped the colony up with more birds from England the next year; the sparrows mostly ignored the caterpillars — they eat grain
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