Dictionary

penetrate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈpɛnɪtɹeɪt/
• (US) audio
• /ˈpɛnətɹeɪt/

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce.
   • Fire ants circumvented the problem of an ineffective sting by having an unusual and highly effective venom that when daubed or sprayed on other ants penetrates their waxy protective integumental barrier and kills or disables them. 2016, Justin O. Schmidt, The Sting of the Wild, Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 102:
   • 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:
   • Light penetrates darkness.
   • and they, ... they .... fly though space, and they penetrate the atmosphere[…]after an amazing nine-month journey 2013, Space Babies:
   • 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 14, 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:
   • 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:
2. (figuratively) To achieve understanding of, despite some obstacle; to comprehend; to understand.
   • I could not penetrate Burke's opaque rhetoric.
   • things which here were […]too subtile for us to penetrate 1691, John Ray, The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation. […], London: […] Samuel Smith, […], →OCLC:
3. To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to move deeply.
   • I am advised to give her music o' mornings; they say it will penetrate 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
   • The translator of Homer should penetrate himself with a sense of the plainness and directness of Homer's style. 1867, Matthew Arnold, On the Study of Celtic Literature:
   • to penetrate one's heart with pity
4. To infiltrate an enemy to gather intelligence.
5. To insert the penis into an orifice, such as a vagina, mouth, or anus.
   • a male elephant comes up and penetrates the female
   • His weapons have been destroyed; his body has been or can be penetrated. In other words, he is rapable. 2005, Patricia Vettel-Becker, Shooting from the hip: photography, masculinity, and postwar America:
6. To move a piece past the defending pieces of one's opponent.

Forms

Deriveds

penetrating fluid · impenetrate · underpenetrated · repenetrate · penetrable · penetrator · penetration · penetrating oil · interpenetrate · penetrance · nonpenetrated · overpenetrate · penetratee · unpenetrated

Relateds

double-penetrate

Synonyms

ransack

Translations (86)

tl pasukin (enter into) · pl spenetrować (enter into) · pt penetrar (enter into) · cs pronikat (enter into) · no trenge inn (enter into) · et läbistama (enter into) · lt skverbtis (enter into) · cmn 穿透 (enter into) · fi työntyä (enter into) · ar اِخْتَرَقَ (enter into) · ka პენეტრაციას ახდენს (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · ak wura mu (enter into) · de penetrieren (enter into) · de penetrieren (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · uk проника́ти (enter into) · bg пронизвам (enter into) · la penetrō (enter into) · kyh ápafur (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · es penetrar (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · fr pénétrer (enter into) · nl penetreren (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · nl penetreren (enter into) · rup pitrundu (enter into) · ko 삽입하다 (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · lt kišti (enter into) · eo penetri (enter into) · de eindringen (enter into) · ro penetra (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · ka პენეტრაციას მოახდენს (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · ka შეაღწევს (enter into) · ka შეიჭრება (enter into) · uk прони́кнути (enter into) · ro penetra (enter into) · bg минавам през (enter into) · la intrō (enter into) · fa سفتن (enter into) · fi tunkeutua (enter into) · bg прониквам (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · ca penetrar (enter into) · el διεισδύω (enter into) · ja 突き通る (enter into) · lt prasiskverbti (enter into) · lt įsiskverbti (enter into) · fa آژیدن (enter into) · lt kišti (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · ko 침투하다 (enter into) · kix chāh (enter into) · gl penetrar (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · pl spenetrować (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · tr sokmak (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · hu behatol (enter into) · cs proniknout (enter into) · et läbistama (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · es penetrar (enter into) · mi ngoto (enter into) · hu behatol (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · cmn 深入 (enter into) · fi penetroida (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · ja 貫通する (enter into) · mnc ᡥᠠᡶᡠᠮᠪᡳ (enter into) · cmn 貫穿 /贯穿 (enter into) · sv penetrera (enter into) · pl penetrować (enter into) · ru прони́кнуть (enter into) · pl penetrować (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · chr ᎠᏔᎳᎦᏍᎦ (enter into) · da trænge ind (enter into) · tr sokmak (enter into) · bn ঢুকানো (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · cmn 穿入 (enter into) · it penetrare (enter into) · ga treáigh (enter into) · ru проника́ть (enter into) · bn ঢুকানো (enter into) · fa سپوختن (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · ro pătrunde (enter into) · eo eniri (enter into) · ro pătrunde (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · tl pasukin (insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina) · nl indringen (enter into) · sv intränga (enter into) · pl przenikać (enter into) · ang ġeondfaran (enter into) · gl penetrar (enter into) · pl przeniknąć (enter into) · ka შევა (enter into)