penetrate

CEFRB2

/ˈpɛnɪtɹeɪt/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
verb
To enter or pass through something.
02
verb
To understand something deeply or discover its hidden meaning.

Examples

It took a long time for Japanese imports to penetrate the American consumer markets.
Microwaves penetrate the food in the oven.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 1
Citations: 5
Synonyms: 1

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

To achieve understanding of, despite some obstacle; to comprehend; to understand.
To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to move deeply.
To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce.

More examples

In context

Sami tried to penetrate Layla but she didn't let him.
I could not penetrate Burke's opaque rhetoric.
to penetrate one's heart with pity

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The strong smell of garlic began to blank the whole kitchen quickly.

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Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

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.
1879, Th Du Moncel, The Telephone, the Microphone and the Phonograph, Harper, page 166
The native-born and the "naturalised" locomotives have been giving way to the standardised types, of which the L.M.S.R. class "5" 4-6-0 has led the way and has penetrated the furthest.
1958 July 26, J. P. Wilson, “Scottish Soliloquy”, in Railway Magazine, page 495
Considerable interest has developed within the defense community during recent years in weapons that are capable of penetrating some distance into the earth before detonating. […] To be generally effective, earth penetrating weapons (EPW) must be capable of penetrating various geologic targets, ranging from soil to rock, without producing critical damage to the payload.
1978 November, H. E. Read [et al.], “Preface”, in CAPRI: A Two-dimensional Eulerian Code for Analyzing the Impact of Highly Deformable Projectiles into Rock: Final Report for Period 15 November 1975 – 30 September 1976 (DNA 4751F), Washington, D.C.: Defense Nuclear Agency, →OCLC, page 7
and they, ... they .... fly though space, and they penetrate the atmosphere[…]after an amazing nine-month journey
2013, Space Babies
Our results also identified the causative mutation of polydactylous Silkie was not exist in other nonpolydactyly chickens, suggesting that SNP of polydactyly in Silkie has fully penetrated all other indigenous Chinese chicken breeds.
2016 February 10, “Parallel Evolution of Polydactyly Traits in Chinese and European Chickens”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI

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Origin

verb

From Latin penētrātus, perfect passive participle of penētrō (“to put, set, or place within, enter, pierce, penetrate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from penes (“within, with”) by analogy to intrō (“to go in, enter”). Compare French pénétrer.

Deep Dive

verb

More examples

Related

Quick test

The strong smell of garlic began to blank— the whole kitchen quickly.

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Origin

verb

The strong smell of garlic began to blank the whole kitchen quickly.