vaccinate actually means "to make into cattle"

In English, the suffix -inate or -enate means to make like a thing. Like oxygenate etc.

vacca (or adjective vaccinus) is latin for cattle.

What a coincidence.

You might say "cattle-ify"

Vaccinate = to make into cattle

They say it's because the smallpox-cowpox story of course.

But how very convenient for them.