Penetrable
/ˈpɛn.ɪ.trə.bəl/noun
Able to be entered, pierced, or passed through.
Did you know?Penetrable comes through Latin penetrabilis, built from penetrare, “to enter within”; Roman penetralia referred to a household’s innermost chambers, sometimes associated with sacred or hidden spaces.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European (uncertain)
PIE
*pen-
“A proposed root connected with entering or being within; this ancestry is not universally accepted.”
Classical Latin
Latin
penitus
“Inner, inward, deep within.”
Classical Latin
Latin
penetrare
“To enter into, penetrate, or reach the inside.”
Classical Latin
Latin
penetrabilis
“Able to be entered or penetrated.”
Middle English
English
penetrable
“Capable of being penetrated or entered.”
Modern English
English
penetrable
“Able to be entered, pierced, or passed through.”
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