penetration

[pen-i-trey-shuhn]

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noun

the act or power of penetrating.
mental acuteness, discernment, or insight: a scholar of rare penetration.
the obtaining of a share of a market for some commodity or service.

the extension, usually peaceful, of the influence of one nation or culture into the affairs of another.
a military attack that penetrates into enemy territory.
Gunnery. the depth to which a projectile goes into the target.
the measure of relative depth of field of a telescope or microscope, especially a binocular microscope.

Origin of penetration

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

Related formsnon·pen·e·tra·tion, nounpre·pen·e·tra·tion, nounself-pen·e·tra·tion, nountrans·pen·e·tra·tion, noun

Synonyms for penetration

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2. understanding, perception, discrimination, depth, profundity.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for penetration

seepage, infiltration, diffusion, entrance, ingress, insertion, invasion, perforation, osmosis, thrusting, perception, insight, discernment, acumen, acuteness, astuteness, piercing, stabbing

Examples from the Web for penetration

Contemporary Examples of penetration

Offense III.b: Sexual Misconduct that includes one or more of the following: penetration, violent physical force, or injury.
Is Sex Assault a Crime in the Ivy League?
Olivia Nuzzi
May 10, 2014
The scenes of penetration are obscured with masking or blurring.
Japan’s Desperate Housewives Opting for Adulterous Online Dating
Angela Erika Kubo, Jake Adelstein
April 2, 2014
But does penetration on camera translate to a realistic portrait of sex and sex addiction?
A Sex Addiction Expert Diagnoses Lars Von Trier’s ‘Nymphomaniac’
Lizzie Crocker
March 23, 2014
The last thing they wanted was for the U.S. to learn the extent of their penetration of the NSA and the FBI in Hawaii.
Snowden’s Beijing Benefactors?
Gordon G. Chang
January 3, 2014
According to Bowden and Offer, water heaters hit 50% penetration in Britain in 1967.
American Household Gadget Exceptionalism
Megan McArdle
February 7, 2013

Historical Examples of penetration

How it came, how it was passed from hearth to hearth, defied our penetration.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
His eyes were the eyes of a scholar, dreamy yet alive with depth and penetration.
The Long Voyage
Carl Richard Jacobi
She broke off suddenly, looking at him, her eyes a pair of gimlets now for penetration.
The Lion's Skin
Rafael Sabatini
You do no credit to your own penetration, dear Mr. Ferdinand, if you deny it.
Aunt Rachel
David Christie Murray
During his reign the problem of Turkish penetration was taken in hand.
The Birth of Yugoslavia, Volume 1
Henry Baerlein

British Dictionary definitions for penetration

penetration

noun

the act or an instance of penetrating
the ability or power to penetrate
keen insight or perception
military an offensive manoeuvre that breaks through an enemy's defensive position
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
another name for depth of field

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 penetration

c.1600, "insight, shrewdness," from Latin penetrationem (nominative penetratio) "a penetrating or piercing," noun of action from past participle stem of penetrare (see penetrate). The sexual sense is attested from 1610s.