1. the processes, beginning in early childhood, by which particular cultural values, ideas, beliefs, and behavioral patterns are instilled in the members of a society. Compare acculturation. See also cultural heritage; social transmission.

2. in anthropology, the rearing of great apes in an environment that includes frequent contact with humans and their artifacts and, usually, human–ape interactions, such as direct teaching, the use of language, and joint attention. Some investigators have suggested that enculturated great apes may show aspects of social cognitive development that are more like those of children than of mother- or nursery-reared apes. —enculturate vb.