permeate

verb

per·​me·​ate ˈpər-mē-ˌāt 

permeated; permeating

intransitive verb

: to diffuse through or penetrate something

transitive verb

1

: to spread or diffuse through

a room permeated with tobacco smoke

2

: to pass through the pores or interstices of

permeative

ˈpər-mē-ˌā-tiv 

adjective

Did you know?

It's no surprise that permeate means "to pass through something"—it was borrowed into English in the 17th century from Latin permeatus, which comes from the prefix per- ("through") and the verb meare, meaning "to go" or "to pass." Meare itself comes from an ancient root that may have also led to Middle Welsh and Czech words meaning "to go" and "to pass," respectively. Other descendants of meare in English include permeative, permeable, meatus ("a natural body passage"), and the relatively rare irremeable ("offering no possibility of return").

Synonyms

• interpenetrate
• percolate (into)
• pervade
• riddle
• suffuse
• transfuse

Examples of permeate in a Sentence

The water permeated the sand.

The smell of baking bread permeated the kitchen.

A feeling of anxiety permeated the office as we rushed to meet the deadline.

The rain permeated through the soil.

Recent Examples on the Web

Indeed, the commercialization of hip-hop was already in full swing in the first half of the ’90s, with rappers proving to be worthy rivals to pop acts on the charts and permeating other areas of pop culture. —Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024

The leather uppers, though not super breathable and quite stiff (at least initially), are definitely easy to clean, with no fluids permeating the surface. —Samson McDougall, Health, 30 Oct. 2024

He was puzzled at how little data permeated her care. —Alex Knapp, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

This claustrophobic series is permeated with a growing sense of dread and relies heavily on an excellent performance from Athie. —Simon Hill, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin permeatus, past participle of permeare, from per- through + meare to go, pass; akin to Middle Welsh mynet to go, Czech míjet to pass

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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Kids Definition

permeate

verb

per·​me·​ate ˈpər-mē-ˌāt 

permeated; permeating

1

: to spread throughout

a room permeated with the scent of flowers

2

: to pass through something which has pores or small openings or is of loose texture : seep through

water permeates sand

permeation

ˌpər-mē-ˈā-shən

noun

Medical Definition

permeate

verb

per·​me·​ate ˈpər-mē-ˌāt 

permeated; permeating

intransitive verb

: to diffuse through or penetrate something

transitive verb

: to pass through the pores or interstices of