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penetrate

 - 4 dictionary results

pen⋅e⋅trate

  [pen-i-treyt] verb, -trat⋅ed, -trat⋅ing.
Use penetrate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to pierce or pass into or through: The bullet penetrated the wall. The fog lights penetrated the mist.
2. to enter the interior of: to penetrate a forest.
3. to enter and diffuse itself through; permeate.
4. to arrive at the truth or meaning of; understand; comprehend: to penetrate a mystery.
5. to obtain a share of (a market): to penetrate the Canadian coffee market.
6. to affect or impress (the mind or feelings) deeply.
7. to extend influence, usually peacefully, into the affairs of (another country).
–verb (used without object)
8. to enter, reach, or pass through something, as by piercing: We penetrated to the interior of the Kasbah.
9. to be diffused through something.
10. to understand or read the meaning of something.
11. to have a deep effect or impact on someone.
Origin:
1520–30; < L penetrātus (ptp. of penetrāre), equiv. to penet-, var. s. of penitus deep down + -r- (prob. by analogy with intus inside: intrāre to enter ) + -ātus + -ate 1

Related forms:
pen⋅e⋅tra⋅tor, noun

Synonyms:
1. See pierce. 4. fathom, discern. 6. touch.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To penetrate
pen·e·trate   (pěn'ĭ-trāt')   
v.   pen·e·trat·ed, pen·e·trat·ing, pen·e·trates

v.   tr.

  1. To enter or force a way into; pierce.

    1. To enter into and permeate: The insistent rhythm of piano practice penetrated each room of the house.

    2. To cause to be permeated or diffused; steep.

  3. To insert the penis into the vagina or anus of.

  4. To enter (an organization, for example), usually surreptitiously, so as to gain influence or information; infiltrate.

  5. To enter and gain a share of (a market): penetrated the home-computer market with an affordable new model.

  6. To grasp the inner significance of; understand.

  7. To see through: keen eyes that penetrate the darkness.

  8. To affect deeply, as by piercing the consciousness or emotions.

v.   intr.

  1. To pierce or enter into something; make a way in or through something.

  2. To gain admittance or access.

  3. To gain insight.


[Latin penetrāre, penetrāt-, from penitus, deeply.]
pen'e·tra'tor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

penetrate 
1412 (implied in penetrable), from L. penetratus, pp. of penetrare "to put or get into, enter into," related to penitus "within, inmost," penus "innermost part of a temple, store of food," penates "household gods." Penetration is first attested 1605, from L. penetrationem (nom. penetratio) "a penetrating or piercing," from penetrare. The sexual sense is attested from 1613. Penetrating in the fig. sense of "touching the feelings intensely" is attested from 1632.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pen·e·trate
Pronunciation: 'pen-&-"trAt
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: -trat·ed; -trat·ing
transitive senses
1 : to pass into or through
2 : to insert the penis into the vagina of in copulation penetrate intransitive senses
: to pass, extend, pierce, or diffuse into or through something penetrating ulcer>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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