penetration

American  

[pen-i-trey-shuhn] / ˌpɛn ɪˈtreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or power of penetrating.

2. mental acuteness, discernment, or insight.

   a scholar of rare penetration.

   Synonyms:

   profundity, depth, discrimination, perception, understanding

3. the obtaining of a share of a market for some commodity or service.

4. the extension, usually peaceful, of the influence of one nation or culture into the affairs of another.

5. a military attack that penetrates into enemy territory.

6. Gunnery. the depth to which a projectile goes into the target.

7. the measure of relative depth of field of a telescope or microscope, especially a binocular microscope.

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penetration British  

/ ˌpɛnɪˈtreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of penetrating

2. the ability or power to penetrate

3. keen insight or perception

4. military an offensive manoeuvre that breaks through an enemy's defensive position

5. Also called: market penetration.  the proportion of the total number of potential purchasers of a product or service who either are aware of its existence or actually buy it

6. another name for depth of field

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Other Word Forms

• nonpenetration
  noun
• prepenetration
  noun
• self-penetration
  noun
• transpenetration
  noun

Etymology

Origin of penetration

First recorded in 1595–1605, penetration is from the Late Latin word penetrātiōn- (stem of penetrātiō ). See penetrate, -ion

Explanation

Penetration refers to entering or making your way through something. It's also a deep insight. When something penetrates, it’s going through something else, so penetration is an example of this happening. You could talk about the penetration of a jacket by a knife, or the penetration of a fortress by an army. When a basketball team pierces the other team's defenses, it's called penetration. Also, in-depth perception or insight is called penetration. Just like physical penetration goes deep into something, mental penetration implies deep understanding of an idea or situation.

Example Sentences

This data was obtained using the Standard Penetration Test and the Mini-Ram Sounding Test, two methods widely used in Japan to assess soil density and foundation requirements.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2024

Penetration testing, or pentesting, is the industry term for a security audit.

From The Verge • Jul. 30, 2021

Penetration of robots and artificial intelligence has hit every industry sector, and has become an integral part of our daily lives.”

From The Guardian • Nov. 4, 2015

Penetration testers, or ethical hackers, instead play the part of attacker and try to breach a company's computer network to identify weak points and recommend how to beef up security.

From Nature • Feb. 26, 2014

Tho’ all Babylon pitied the hard Case of Zadig, they equally stood astonish’d at the profound Penetration of Hermes.

From Zadig Or, The Book of Fate by Voltaire

Related Words

• infiltration
• seepage