WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
acculturation n 1: the adoption of the behavior patterns of the surrounding culture; "the socialization of children to the norms of their culture" [syn: socialization, socialisation, acculturation, enculturation] 2: all the knowledge and values shared by a society [syn: acculturation, culture] 3: the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure [syn: acculturation, assimilation]