permeate

verb

per·me·ate ˈpər-mē-ˌāt

permeated; permeating

Synonyms of permeate next

intransitive verb

: to diffuse through or penetrate something

transitive verb

: to spread or diffuse through

a room permeated with tobacco smoke

: 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").

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 The way cities are built, and the makeup of materials that permeate everyday life have become detrimental to the health of animals and ecosystems alike. —

Charlotte Hu, Popular Science, 21 Sep. 2023 Discussions of work-life balance have permeated many corporate workplaces over the past few years. —

Nora Eckert, WSJ, 12 Sep. 2023 Sevigny’s face represents the ineffable coolness that used to permeate the streets of New York. —

Tara Gonzalez, Harper's BAZAAR, 7 Sep. 2023 More than with other candidates, Ramaswamy’s views seem to be at the core of his pitch, permeating his writings and public statements. —

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2023 Critical race theory—a field of academia that analyzes how issues of race permeate throughout society, including in laws and other systems of power and governance—became a major flashpoint during local elections starting in 2021. —

WIRED, 1 Sep. 2023 The mild acidity of buttermilk helps tenderize the fish, permeates it with flavor, and keeps it juicy after baking. —

Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2023 Through such imagery, Tamahori aims to imbue the violence that permeates with a primal quality, obeying only its own sacred rules beyond the comprehension of the unwelcomed colonizers, whose standing here is that of tenants paying rent to the Māori owners. —

Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023 Those vents are slotted to mimic the lamella structures on the undersides of mushrooms, and that design theme permeates the interior. —

Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 3 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'permeate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of permeate was in 1656

See more words from the same year