percolation
Americannoun
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the act or state of percolating or of being percolated.
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Pharmacology. the extraction of the soluble principles of a crude drug by the passage of a suitable liquid through it.
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Geology. the slow movement of water through the pores in soil or permeable rock.
Etymology
Origin of percolation
First recorded in 1605–15, percolation is from the Latin word percōlātiōn- (stem of percōlātiō ). See percolate, -ion
Explanation
Percolation is the process of a liquid slowly passing through a filter. It's how coffee is usually made. Percolation comes from the Latin word percolare, which means "to strain through." Percolation happens when liquid is strained through a filter, like when someone makes coffee. Drinking coffee can make you feel perky! Perky comes from the word percolate, too, describing something that bubbles over. Percolation (a noun) is what happens when anything percolates. It’s usually coffee, but chemists use percolation for all kinds of experiments.
Vocabulary lists containing percolation
The Water Cycle - Introductory
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Earth Science - Middle School
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The Water Cycle - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Such calculations could ultimately improve scientists' understanding of complex processes like turbulence and percolation.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 16, 2025
This may not seem relevant to fluid turbulence, but in earlier work, the team and other researchers in the field had evidence that the directed percolation transition had the same statistical properties as laminar-turbulent transitions.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2024
Their research, titled "The role of interfacial donor-acceptor percolation in efficient and stable all-polymer solar cells," paves the way for more sustainable and viable solar energy solutions for daily applications.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
How did your work open these new doors for mathematicians to solve problems related to percolation theory?
From Scientific American ● Sep. 25, 2023
The earlier treasury was probably destroyed either by earthquake or by the percolation of water through the terracing.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 10 "David, St" to "Demidov" by Various
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
