Infiltration
/ˌɪn.fɪlˈtreɪ.ʃən/noun
The act or process of gradually entering or spreading through something, especially secretly or by degrees.
Did you know?Infiltration entered English through French from Latin roots meaning “to drip into,” and its older history is literally about liquid seeping through a filter before it became a word for secret entry.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
infiltration
“Secret or gradual entry into a place, group, or system.”
17th–18th Century
French
infiltration
“A seeping or filtering in, especially of liquids.”
Late Latin
Latin
infiltrare
“To filter in, to strain or seep into.”
Latin
Latin
filtrum
“A felt or filter used for straining liquids.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰel-
“A root associated with wool, hair, and felt-like material.”