Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Aerate \A"["e]r*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {A["e]rated}; p. pr. &
   vb. n. {A["e]rating}.] [Cf. F. a['e]rer. See {Air}, v. t.]
   1. To combine or charge with gas; usually with carbonic acid
      gas, formerly called fixed air.

            His sparkling sallies bubbled up as from a["e]rated
            natural fountains.                    --Carlyle.

   2. To supply or impregnate with common air; as, to a["e]rate
      soil; to a["e]rate water.

   3. (Physiol.) To expose to the chemical action of air; to
      oxygenate (the blood) by respiration; to arterialize.

   {A["e]rated bread}, bread raised by charging dough with
      carbonic acid gas, instead of generating the gas in the
      dough by fermentation.

Source : WordNet®

aerate
     v 1: expose to fresh air; "aerate your old sneakers" [syn: {air
          out}, {air}]
     2: aerate (sewage) so as to favor the growth of organisms that
        decompose organic matter [syn: {activate}]
     3: impregnate, combine, or supply with oxygen; "oxygenate
        blood" [syn: {oxygenate}, {oxygenize}, {oxygenise}]