To embed something means to fix it firmly and deeply into something else, like pressing a stone into wet cement so it becomes part of the surface. When archaeologists find fossils embedded in rock, they're looking at ancient creatures that became trapped in mud millions of years ago and gradually became part of the stone itself.

The word also describes putting one thing inside another so it becomes an integrated part. When you embed a video in a website, you're placing it right into the page so visitors can watch it without leaving. News articles often have embedded videos or images woven directly into the text. A reporter embedded with a military unit lives and travels with the soldiers to report on their experiences firsthand.

You might embed a secret message in a story by hiding it in the first letter of each sentence, or embed a memory in your mind by experiencing something so powerful you'll never forget it. The key idea is that whatever gets embedded becomes a fixed, integrated part of something larger.