Main Entry:

per·co·late

Pronunciation:

\ˈpər-kə-ˌlāt, ÷-kyə-\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

per·co·lat·ed; per·co·lat·ing

Etymology:

Latin percolatus, past participle of percolare, from per- through + colare to sieve — more at per-, colander

Date:

1626

transitive verb1 a: to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance (as a powdered drug) especially for extracting a soluble constituent b: to prepare (coffee) in a percolator2: to be diffused through : penetrateintransitive verb1: to ooze or trickle through a permeable substance : seep2 a: to become percolated b: to become lively or effervescent3: to spread gradually <allow the sunlight to percolate into our rooms — Norman Douglas>4: simmer 2a <the feud had been percolating for a long time>

— per·co·la·tion \ˌpər-kə-ˈlā-shən\ noun