macerate v.

late 15c., "act or process of making lean or thin," from Latin macerationem (nominative maceratio) "a steeping, soaking; a making soft or tender," noun of action from past-participle stem of macerare "to make soft or tender; soften by steeping or soaking;" in transferred sense "to weaken" in body or mind, "to waste away, enervate" (see macerate). Meaning "act or process of almost dissolving by steeping in a fluid" is from 1610s.

also *mak-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to knead, fashion, fit." It forms all or part of: amass; among; macerate; magma; make; mason; mass (n.1) "lump, quantity, size;" match (n.2) "one of a pair, an equal;" mingle; mongrel.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek magis "kneaded mass, cake," mageus "one who kneads, baker;" Latin macerare "soften, make soft, soak, steep;" Lithuanian minkyti "to knead;" Old Church Slavonic mazo "to anoint, smear;" Breton meza "to knead;" Old English macian "to make, form, construct, do," German machen "to make;" Middle Irish maistir "to churn."