Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
PENETRATE
penetrate, fathom, bottom
(verb) come to understand
penetrate, perforate
(verb) pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance; “The bullet penetrated her chest”
permeate, pervade, penetrate, interpenetrate, diffuse, imbue, riddle
(verb) spread or diffuse through; “An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration”; “music penetrated the entire building”; “His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks”
penetrate
(verb) insert the penis into the vagina or anus of; “Did the molester penetrate the child?”
penetrate
(verb) make one’s way deeper into or through; “The hikers did not manage to penetrate the dense forest”
infiltrate, penetrate
(verb) enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members; “The student organization was infiltrated by a traitor”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
penetrate (third-person singular simple present penetrates, present participle penetrating, simple past and past participle penetrated)
To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce.
(figuratively) To achieve understanding of, despite some obstacle; to comprehend; to understand.
To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to move deeply.
To infiltrate an enemy to gather intelligence.
To insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina or anus.
(chess) To move a piece past the defending pieces of one's opponent.
Source: Wiktionary
Pen"e*trate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penetrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Penetrating.] Etym: [L. penetratus, p.p. of penetrare to penetrate; akin to penitus inward, inwardly, and perh. to pens with, in the power of, penus store of food, innermost part of a temple.]
1. To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to effect an entrance into; to pierce; as, light penetrates darkness.
2. To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to touch with feeling; to make sensible; to move deeply; as, to penetrate one's heart with pity. Shak. The translator of Homer should penetrate himself with a sense of the plainness and directness of Homer's style. M. Arnold.
3. To pierce into by the mind; to arrive at the inner contents or meaning of, as of a mysterious or difficult subject; to comprehend; to understand. Things which here were too subtile for us to penetrate. Ray.
Pen"e*trate, v. i.
Definition: To pass; to make way; to pierce. Also used figuratively. Preparing to penetrate to the north and west. J. R. Green. Born where Heaven's influence scarce can penetrate. Pope. The sweet of life that penetrates so near. Daniel.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
15 June 2024
HEAVY
(adjective) (of sleep) deep and complete; “a heavy sleep”; “fell into a profound sleep”; “a sound sleeper”; “deep wakeless sleep”
Coffee Trivia
