Marinate (verb)

1. Soak (food) in a marinade (a mixture of oil, vinegar or lemon juice, herbs, and spices) before cooking.
2. To soak food in a liquid mixture for a period of time before cooking in order to add flavor and tenderize the food.

Origin:

From french mariner, from marin ("of the sea"), from latin marinus ("of the sea"), from mare ("sea").

Examples:

1. I'm going to marinate the chicken for an hour before grilling it.
2. The steak was marinated in red wine and herbs for 24 hours.
3. The fish was marinated in lemon juice and olive oil before being grilled.
4. The vegetables were marinated in a vinaigrette before being served.
5. I always marinate my tofu in soy sauce, honey and ginger before frying it.