Permeate
/ˈpɜːr.mi.eɪt/noun
To spread throughout or pass through something.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin permeare, literally meaning “to pass through,” built from per-, “through,” and meare, “to go or pass.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mey-
“To change, move, or pass from one state or place to another”
Classical Latin
Latin
meāre
“To go, pass, or travel”
Classical Latin
Latin
permeāre
“To pass through or travel throughout”
17th Century
English
permeate
“To spread through or penetrate every part of something”
Modern English
English
permeate
“To spread throughout or pass through something”