Permeable
/ˈpɜːr.mi.ə.bəl/noun
Able to be penetrated or passed through by a liquid, gas, or other substance.
Did you know?Permeable comes from Latin per- (“through”) + meare (“to pass, go”), a root family tied to movement and passage rather than magic—yet it survives in words like “meander” and “promenade.”
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
permeāre
“to pass through, to go through”
Late Latin
Latin
permeābilis
“able to pass through”
14th–15th Century
French
perméable
“capable of being penetrated or passed through”
16th Century
English
permeable
“capable of being passed through or penetrated”
Modern English
English
permeable
“allowing a fluid or gas to pass through”