Word of the Day

: July 27, 2008

permeate

verb PER-mee-ayt

What It Means

1 : to diffuse through or penetrate (something)

2 : to pass through the pores or interstices of

permeate in Context

The scent of lilacs permeated the air as soon as the bushes bloomed outside my window.

Did You Know?

It's no surprise that "permeate" means "to pass through" something -- it was borrowed into English in the mid-17th century from the 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").