Dictionary

penetration en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /pɛ.nəˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /pɛ.nɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English penetracioun, from Old French penetracïon, and its source, Latin penetrātiō, from the participle stem of penetrō (“pierce”, verb). Morphologically penetrate + -ion.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of penetrating something.
2. (countable, uncountable) The insertion of the penis (or similar object) during sexual intercourse.
   • Any penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.
3. (countable, uncountable) The act of penetrating a given situation with the mind or faculties; perception, discernment.
   • […] my observations of her looks and actions became acutely sharpened, and that to a degree, which, notwithstanding my efforts to conceal it, could not escape her penetration. 1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter III, in Rob Roy. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 46:
   • I have no respect for the penetration of any man who can read the report of that conversation, and still call the principal in it insane. 1859, Henry David Thoreau, A Plea for Captain John Brown:
4. (countable, uncountable) The act of progressing or moving forward through or into something.
   • Arsenal lacked urgency and penetration in a lazy, lacklustre opening half, sucked in by Forest's strategy of sitting back in blocks of defence waiting to hit them on the counter. 2024 January 30, Phil McNulty, “Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal: Gunners in title race after they close gap to leaders Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
5. (countable, uncountable) A number or fraction that represents how many cards/decks will be dealt before shuffling, in contrast to the total number of cards/decks in play.
6. (countable, uncountable) The proportion of the target audience who buy or use the specified product or service.
   • The electrification of the lines radiating from Casablanca originated with the policy of economic penetration and conciliation pursued by Marshal Lyautey for the pacification of Morocco. 1950 March, “The Why and the Wherefore: Railway Electrification in Morocco”, in Railway Magazine, page 214:

Forms

Deriveds

repenetration · overpenetration · prepenetration · penetration aid · double penetration · nonpenetration · market penetration · depenetration · autopenetration · penetration pricing · interpenetration · penetration test · penetration line

Translations (36)

tl pagtatagos (act of penetrating) · ms penerobosan (act of penetrating) · ms penembusan (act of penetrating) · ms penyusupan (act of penetrating) · id penetrasi (act of penetrating) · ms pemantakan (act of penetrating) · fi lävistys (act of penetrating) · gag penetraţiya (act of penetrating) · ms pengumbian (act of penetrating) · eo penetro (act of penetrating) · ro penetrație (act of penetrating) · ro penetrare (act of penetrating) · sv penetration (act of penetrating) · ja 貫通 (act of penetrating) · ru проникнове́ние (act of penetrating) · es penetración (act of penetrating) · lad penetrasyon (act of penetrating) · ca penetració (act of penetrating) · pl penetracja (act of penetrating) · ar اِخْتِرَاقْ (act of penetrating) · ru проника́ние (act of penetrating) · de Penetration (act of penetrating) · ota نفوذ (act of penetrating) · hu behatolás (act of penetrating) · el διείσδυση (act of penetrating) · ms penusukan (act of penetrating) · tr penetrasyon (act of penetrating) · ja 浸透 (act of penetrating) · pt penetração (act of penetrating) · bg прони́кване (act of penetrating) · fi läpäisy (act of penetrating) · la penetratio (act of penetrating) · fr pénétration (act of penetrating) · gl penetración (act of penetrating) · it penetrazione (act of penetrating) · cmn 滲透 /渗透 (act of penetrating)