habituate

When you habituate something, you're helping it to get accustomed to a new home. Workers in zoos spend a lot of time habituating animals.

The word "habit" in habituate is a clue to its meaning — by habituating, you're helping a creature or person get used to new surroundings and establish new habits, especially in a new habitat (home). If your dog spends the night with a friend, you might bring some of his toys to habituate him and make him feel comfortable. It takes a lot of time for a new cat to be habituated to a home. When you habituate something, you're helping it feel comfortable and accustomed to a new place.

Definitions of habituate
  1. verb
    make psychologically or physically used (to something)
    “She became habituated to the background music”
    synonyms: accustom
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    types:
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    harden, indurate, inure
    cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate
    teach
    accustom gradually to some action or attitude
    addict, hook
    to cause (someone or oneself) to become dependent (on something, especially a narcotic drug)
    callous, cauterise, cauterize
    make insensitive or callous; deaden feelings or morals
    brace oneself for, prepare for, steel oneself against, steel onself for
    prepare mentally or emotionally for something unpleasant
    type of:
    alter, change, modify
    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
  2. verb
    take or consume (regularly or habitually)
    synonyms: use
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    types:
    drink, tope
    drink excessive amounts of alcohol; be an alcoholic
    board
    lodge and take meals (at)
    type of:
    consume, have, ingest, take, take in
    serve oneself to, or consume regularly
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