percolate
[verb pur-kuh-leyt; noun pur-kuh-lit, -leyt]
- to cause (a liquid) to pass through a porous body; filter.
- (of a liquid) to filter through; permeate.
- to brew (coffee) in a percolator.
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- to pass through a porous substance; filter; ooze; seep; trickle.
- to become percolated: The coffee is starting to percolate.
- to become active, lively, or spirited.
- to show activity, movement, or life; grow or spread gradually; germinate: Interest in the idea has begun to percolate.
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- a percolated liquid.
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Origin of percolate
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
Examples from the Web for percolate
Contemporary Examples
Russian militants continue to percolate through the Ukrainian border, hoping their Kremlin-stoked fantasies will come true.
Novel gun control ideas continue to percolate through the commentariat.
In the U.S., it took more than a decade for the lessons to percolate from the teach-ins to the startups.
Historical Examples
Evaporate the percolate in a water-bath to the consistency of a pill mass.
The Medicinal Plants of the PhilippinesT. H. Pardo de Tavera
The other was to percolate a similar quantity to get the needed caffeol.
All About CoffeeWilliam H. Ukers
Miss Burton paused to allow the idea to percolate into my brain.
My Actor-HusbandAnonymous
The first portion of the percolate is colorless or nearly so.
Friction, Lubrication and the Lubricants in HorologyWilliam T. Lewis
Even so, a great light was beginning to percolate to my innermost consciousness.
One Third OffIrvin S. Cobb
percolate
- 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
- to permeate; penetrate graduallywater percolated the road
- (intr) US informal to become active or livelyshe percolated with happiness
- to make (coffee) or (of coffee) to be made in a percolator
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- a product of percolation
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Word Origin
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
percolate
(pûr′kə-lāt′)- To cause a liquid to pass slowly through a porous substance or small holes; filter.
- To drain or seep through.
- To cause a solvent liquid to pass through a mixture, such as a powdered drug, so as to extract the soluble portion.
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- A liquid that has been percolated.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.