Dictionary.com
definitions

percolate

[verb pur-kuh-leyt; noun pur-kuh-lit, -leyt]
See more synonyms for percolate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), per·co·lat·ed, per·co·lat·ing.
  1. to cause (a liquid) to pass through a porous body; filter.
  2. (of a liquid) to filter through; permeate.
  3. to brew (coffee) in a percolator.
verb (used without object), per·co·lat·ed, per·co·lat·ing.
  1. to pass through a porous substance; filter; ooze; seep; trickle.
  2. to become percolated: The coffee is starting to percolate.
  3. to become active, lively, or spirited.
  4. to show activity, movement, or life; grow or spread gradually; germinate: Interest in the idea has begun to percolate.
noun
  1. a percolated liquid.

Origin of percolate

1620–30; < Latin percōlātus, past participle of percōlāre to filter. See per-, colander, -ate1
Related formsper·co·la·ble, adjectiveper·co·la·tive, adjectiveun·per·co·lat·ed, adjective

Pronunciation note

The pronunciation of percolate as [pur-kyuh-leyt] /ˈpɜr kyəˌleɪt/, with an intrusive y -glide, results from analogy with words like circulate and matriculate, where the unstressed vowel following the k -sound is symbolized by a u spelling, making the y -glide mandatory. In similar words where [k] /k/ is followed by some other vowel, the [y] /y/ represents a hypercorrection. The pronunciation of escalate as [es-kyuh-leyt] /ˈɛs kyəˌleɪt/ is another such example. See coupon, new.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for percolate

filter, permeate, bubble, ooze, pervade, leach, drain, impregnate, perk, exude, saturate, strain, charge, sweat, transude, penetrate, weep, transfuse, bleed, filtrate

Examples from the Web for percolate

Contemporary Examples of percolate

Historical Examples of percolate

British Dictionary definitions for percolate

percolate

verb (ˈpɜːkəˌleɪt)
  1. to cause (a liquid) to pass through a fine mesh, porous substance, etc, or (of a liquid) to pass through a fine mesh, porous substance, etc; tricklerain percolated through the roof
  2. to permeate; penetrate graduallywater percolated the road
  3. (intr) US informal to become active or livelyshe percolated with happiness
  4. to make (coffee) or (of coffee) to be made in a percolator
noun (ˈpɜːkəlɪt, -ˌleɪt)
  1. a product of percolation
Derived Formspercolable (ˈpɜːkələbəl), adjectivepercolation, nounpercolative, adjective

Word Origin for percolate

C17: from Latin percolāre, from per + cōlāre to strain, from cōlum a strainer; see colander
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 percolate
v.

1620s, a back-formation from percolation, or else from Latin percolatus, past participle of percolare "to strain through." Figurative sense by 1670s. Related: Percolated; percolating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
percolate in Medicine

percolate

[pûr′kə-lāt′]
v.
  1. To cause a liquid to pass slowly through a porous substance or small holes; filter.
  2. To drain or seep through.
  3. To cause a solvent liquid to pass through a mixture, such as a powdered drug, so as to extract the soluble portion.
n.
  1. A liquid that has been percolated.
Related formsper′co•la′tion n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.