Added 9 October 2026
penetrate
/ˈpɛnɪtɹeɪt/ verb
In Latin: intrō, penetrō Wiktionary
verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about penetrate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce.
Light penetrates darkness.
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To achieve understanding of, despite some obstacle; to comprehend; to understand.
I could not penetrate Burke's opaque rhetoric.
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To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to move deeply.
to penetrate one's heart with pity
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)