Permeate

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Permeate \Per"me*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Permeated}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Permeating}.] [L. permeatus, p. p. of permeare to
     permeate; per + meare to go, pass.]
     1. To pass through the pores or interstices of; to penetrate
        and pass through without causing rupture or displacement;
        -- applied especially to fluids which pass through


        substances of loose texture; as, water permeates sand.
        --Woodward.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To enter and spread through; to pervade; as, after the
        first setback, the team became permeated with pessimism.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              God was conceived to be diffused throughout the
              whole world, to permeate and pervade all things.
                                                    --Cudworth.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  permeate
       v 1: spread or diffuse through; "An atmosphere of distrust has
            permeated this administration"; "music penetrated the
            entire building" [syn: {pervade}, {penetrate}, {interpenetrate},
             {diffuse}, {imbue}]
       2: pass through; "Water permeates sand easily" [syn: {percolate},
           {sink in}, {filter}]
       3: penetrate mutually or be interlocked; "The territories of
          two married people interpenetrate a lot" [syn: {interpenetrate}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  66 Moby Thesaurus words for "permeate":
     bathe, bespread, besprinkle, breathe, brew, charge, color,
     crawl with, creep with, decoct, diffuse, douche, dredge, drench,
     drouk, dye, enter, entincture, extend throughout, fill, flavor,
     flush, honeycomb, imbrue, imbue, impregnate, infiltrate, infuse,
     ingrain, inject, instill, interfuse, interpenetrate, invade, lave,
     leach, leave no void, leaven, lixiviate, macerate, occupy, overrun,
     overspread, overswarm, penetrate, percolate, pervade, rinse,
     run through, saturate, season, seethe, soak, sodden, sop, souse,
     steep, suffuse, swarm with, teem with, temper, tincture, tinge,
     transfuse, wash, waterlog