Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Penetrate

Pen′e-trate

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Penetrated
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Penetrating
.]
[L.
penetratus
, p. p. of
penetrare
to penetrate; akin to
penitus
inward, inwardly, and perh. to
pens
with, in the power of,
penus
store of food, innermost part of a temple.]
1.
To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to effect an entrance into; to pierce;
as, light
penetrates
darkness
.
2.
To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to touch with feeling; to make sensible; to move deeply;
as, to
penetrate
one’s heart with pity
.
Shak.
The translator of Homer should
penetrate
himself with a sense of the plainness and directness of Homer's style.
M. Arnold.
3.
To pierce into by the mind; to arrive at the inner contents or meaning of, as of a mysterious or difficult subject; to comprehend; to understand.
Things which here were too subtile for us to
penetrate
.
Ray.

Pen′e-trate

,
Verb.
I.
To pass; to make way; to pierce. Also used figuratively.
Preparing to
penetrate
to the north and west.
J. R. Green.
Born where Heaven's influence scarce can
penetrate
.
Pope.
The sweet of life that
penetrates
so near.
Daniel.

Webster 1828 Edition


Penetrate

PEN'ETRATE

,
Verb.
T.
[L. penetro, from the root of pen, a point.]
1.
To enter or pierce; to make way into another body; as, a sword or dart penetrates the body; oil penetrates wood; marrow, the most penetrating of oil substances.
2.
To affect the mind; to cause to feel. I am penetrated with a lively sense of your generosity.
3.
To reach by the intellect; to understand; as, to penetrate the meaning or design of any thing.
4.
To enter; to pass into the interior; as, to penetrate a country.

PEN'ETRATE

,
Verb.
I.
To pass; to make way.
Born where heaven's influence scarce can penetrate.
1.
To make way intellectually. He had not penetrated into the designs of the prince.

Definition 2024


penetrate

penetrate

See also: penetrãte

English

Verb

penetrate (third-person singular simple present penetrates, present participle penetrating, simple past and past participle penetrated)

  1. To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce.
    Light penetrates darkness.
    • 1879, Th Du Moncel, The Telephone, the Microphone and the Phonograph, Harper, page 166:
      He takes the prepared charcoal used by artists, brings it to a white heat, and suddenly plunges it in a bath of mercury, of which the globules instantly penetrate the pores of charcoal, and may be said to metallize it.
  2. (figuratively) To achieve understanding of, despite some obstacle; to comprehend; to understand.
    I could not penetrate Burke's opaque rhetoric.
    • Ray
      things which here were too subtile for us to penetrate
  3. To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to move deeply.
    to penetrate one's heart with pity
    • M. Arnold
      The translator of Homer should penetrate himself with a sense of the plainness and directness of Homer's style.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  4. To infiltrate an enemy to gather intelligence.
  5. To insert the **** into an opening, such as a **** or anus. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

Translations


Esperanto

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /penetˈrate/

Verb

penetrate

  1. present adverbial passive participle of penetri

Italian

Verb

penetrate

  1. second-person plural present indicative of penetrare
  2. second-person plural imperative of penetrare
  3. feminine plural of penetrato

Latin

Verb

penētrāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of penētrō