porous

[pawr-uhs, pohr-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR porous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

full of pores.

permeable by water, air, etc.

Origin of porous

1350–1400; Middle English, variant of porose < Medieval Latin porōsus. See pore², -ous

Related formspo·rous·ly, adverbpo·rous·ness, nounnon·po·rous, adjectivenon·po·rous·ness, nounun·po·rous, adjectiveun·po·rous·ness, noun

Synonyms for porous

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR porous ON THESAURUS.COM

2. penetrable, pervious, sievelike, riddled.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nonporous

Historical Examples of nonporous

A porous separator allows more energy to be drawn from the battery than a nonporous one.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
When a wooden case is used, jars made of rubber, or some other nonporous, acid-resisting material are necessary.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
When the skin is ready to apply, coat this plaster cast with some nonporous modelling material.
Home Taxidermy for Pleasure and Profit
Albert B. Farnham

British Dictionary definitions for nonporous

nonporous

adjective

not permeable to water, air, or other fluids

porous

adjective

permeable to water, air, or other fluids

biology geology having pores; poriferous

easy to cross or penetratethe porous border into Thailand; the most porous defence in the league

Derived Formsporously, adverbporousness, noun

Word Origin for porous

C14: from Medieval Latin porōsus, from Late Latin porus pore ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for nonporous

porous

adj.

late 14c., "full of pores," from Old French poros (14c., Modern French poreux), from Medieval Latin porosus; or directly from Latin porus "an opening" (see pore (n.)). Figurative use from 1640s.

Medicine definitions for nonporous