permeable

[pur-mee-uh-buh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR permeable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

capable of being permeated.

Origin of permeable

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin permeābilis, equivalent to permeā(re) to permeate + -bilis -ble

Related formsper·me·a·ble·ness, nounper·me·a·bly, adverbnon·per·me·a·ble, adjectiveun·per·me·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for permeable

accessible, passable, pervious, porous, spongy, absorptive, enterable

Examples from the Web for permeable

Contemporary Examples of permeable

When the intestine is permeable and inflamed, infectious or toxic substances “leak” through the lining into the blood stream.
Research Shows Link Between NSAID Use and Gut Disease
Valerie Vande Panne
April 21, 2014
Eakin did her best to make the division as permeable as possible.
The Woman Who Saved Solomon
Guy Walters
October 20, 2013
At the same time, it would become a permeable border for Kashmiris, who could move back and forth easily.
Worse Than Afghanistan
Bruce Riedel
September 25, 2010

Historical Examples of permeable

The substance of the wall seemed as permeable and yielding as light.
White Fang
Jack London
The mass was drained, and permeable to a fresh supply of water.
Farm drainage
Henry Flagg French
The chain of green bogs is a consequence of the stratum of permeable sand.
The Cruise of the Betsey
Hugh Miller
The membrane is, however, permeable to the constituents of sea water or to sugar.
The Organism as a Whole
Jacques Loeb
Rock is permeable by water to a greater extent than is generally supposed.
Man and Nature
George P. Marsh

British Dictionary definitions for permeable

permeable

adjective

capable of being permeated, esp by liquids

Derived Formspermeableness, nounpermeably, adverb

Word Origin for permeable

C15: from Late Latin permeābilis, from Latin permeāre to pervade; see permeate

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 permeable

adj.

early 15c., from Late Latin permeabilis "that can be passed through, passable," from Latin permeare "to pass through, go over," from per- "through" (see per) + meare "to pass," from PIE root *mei- "to change" (see mutable). Related: Permeably.

permeable in Medicine