verb

penetrate

PEN-uh-trayt/ˈpenətreɪt/

To enter into or pass through something.

The steel nail penetrates the board, its tip emerging underneath.

A steel nail driven through a thin wooden board, with its head above the wood and its sharp tip visibly emerging beneath it.

Etymology

Latin penetrare meant “to put or get into” and was related to words for the interior. Penetrating therefore centers on reaching inside something, often by piercing its boundary.

In context

Gentleman's Gazette8:09

These two tanning stages can't be rushed though as it does take time for the tannins to penetrate the full thickness of the hides.

Why is Shell Cordovan Leather So Expensive?

More examples

Rainwater penetrates the dry soil slowly.
Sunlight penetrates the thin curtains.
The needle penetrated her skin with a slight sting.

Forms

penetrate · penetrates · penetrated · penetrating

penetration noun — The act of entering or passing through.

penetrable adjective — Able to be entered or passed through.

Similar words

pierce: Emphasizes making a hole with a sharp point.
enter: Means going inside without necessarily breaking through a barrier.
permeate: Means spreading throughout a material, not just entering it.