penetrant

American  

[pen-i-truhnt] / ˈpɛn ɪ trənt /

noun

1. a person or thing that penetrates.

2. a compound that penetrates the skin, as a lotion or cream.

3. a substance that lowers the surface tension of water; wetting agent.

4. Zoology. a large nematocyst discharging a barbed thread that penetrates the body of the prey and injects a toxic fluid.

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adjective

1. penetrating.

penetrant British  

/ ˈpɛnɪtrənt /

adjective

1. sharp; penetrating

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noun

1. chem a substance that lowers the surface tension of a liquid and thus causes it to penetrate or be absorbed more easily

2. a person or thing that penetrates

Other Word Forms

• unpenetrant adjective

Etymology

Origin of penetrant

1535–45; < Latin penetrant- (stem of penetrāns ), present participle of penetrāre to penetrate; -ant

Example Sentences

“It would give us a better sense of how penetrant the virus is in our communities,” said William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University.

From Washington Times • May 14, 2020

Only five per cent of disease-related gene mutations are fully penetrant, which means they guarantee the disease.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 17, 2019

Whole-brain radiation treatment – highly penetrant x-rays dosed directly through her skull – would also be used against leukaemia growth in her brain.

From The Guardian • Jan. 17, 2011

This gas is 3. blistering penetrant, the effects of which last for a considerable length of time, owing to its slow evaporation.

From Time Magazine Archive

But before he could pull trigger the strange two-pronged torch was tossed on high by somebody behind the messenger, and through the dull and foggy gloom a wild, fierce, penetrant cry wailed piercingly.

From Darkness and Dawn by England, George Allan

Related Words

• biting
• piercing
• trenchant