Penetrance to Pennywort
Penetrance
(Pen"e*trance Pen"e*tran*cy) n. The quality or state of being penetrant; power of entering or
piercing; penetrating power of quality; as, the penetrancy of subtile effluvia.
Penetrant
(Pen"e*trant) a. [L. penetrans, p. pr. of penetrare: cf. F. pénétrant.] Having power to enter
or pierce; penetrating; sharp; subtile; as, penetrant cold. "Penetrant and powerful arguments." Boyle.
Penetrate
(Pen"e*trate) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penetrated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Penetrating.] [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. Penetrate
(Pen"e*trate), v. i. 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. Penetrating
(Pen"e*tra`ting) a.
1. Having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading; sharp; subtile; penetrative; as, a penetrating odor.
2. Acute; discerning; sagacious; quick to discover; as, a penetrating mind.
Penetratingly
(Pen"e*tra`ting*ly), adv. In a penetrating manner.
Penetration
(Pen"e*tra`tion) n. [L. penetratio: cf. F. pénétration.]
1. The act or process of penetrating, piercing, or entering; also, the act of mentally penetrating into, or
comprehending, anything difficult.
And to each in ward part,
With gentle penetration, though unseen,
Shoots invisible virtue even to the
deep.
Milton.
A penetration into the difficulties of algebra.
Watts. 2. Acuteness; insight; sharp discoverment; sagacity; as, a person of singular penetration. Walpole.
Syn. — Discernment; sagacity; acuteness; sharpness; discrimination. See Discernment, and Sagacity.
Penetrative
(Pen"e*tra*tive) a. [Cf. F. pénétratif.]
