Word of the Day permeate

Word of the Day

• permeate
• 
• \PER-mee-ayt\

• DEFINITION

verb

1

: to diffuse through or penetrate (something)

2

: to pass through the pores or interstices of

• EXAMPLES

The scent of lilacs permeated the air as soon as the bushes bloomed outside my window.

"'Game Over.' There's no element of video-game culture that has so thoroughly permeated the mainstream. Everyone knows what it means: You screwed up or you caught a bad break. Better luck next time." — From an article by Jesse Singal in The Boston Globe, July 14, 2013

• DID YOU KNOW?

It's no surprise that "permeate" means "to pass through" something—it was borrowed into English in the mid-17th century from Latin "permeatus," which comes from the prefix "per" ("through") and "meare," meaning "to go" or "to pass." "Meare" itself comes from an ancient root that may have also led to Middle Welsh and Czech words meaning "to go" and "to pass," respectively. Other descendants of "meare" in English include "permeative," "permeable," "meatus" ("a natural body passage"), and the relatively rare "irremeable" ("offering no possibility of return").

Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/#gp55VDYk0CTStGma.99