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 verb 1 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 percolator
2 : to be diffused through : penetrateintransitive verb 1 : to ooze or trickle through a permeable substance : seep
2 a : to become percolated b : to become lively or effervescent
3 : 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