compenetrate
/kəmˈpɛnɪtɹeɪt/
compenetrate · verb — to penetrate every part of (something); to permeate. It carries an Arena rating of 1669, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, compenetrate ranks #409 of 17,134 for Most Satisfying to Say, #470 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,650 of 17,152 for The Improbable, #3,272 of 17,151 for Most Ingenious Words.
compenetrate is pronounced /kəmˈpɛnɪtɹeɪt/.
Why “compenetrate” is a great word
COMPENETRATE — [Verb] To penetrate throughout every part of something, or for two or more things to mutually penetrate each other. From the Latin prefix con- ("together, with") and the verb penetrate ("to pierce into"). First attested in English in 1636, borrowed from New Latin compenetrātus. Unlike "permeate," which suggests a one-way saturation like a scent pervading a room, or "interpenetrate," which specifies mutual action between discrete entities, compenetrate holds a dual capacity for both thorough infusion and reciprocal occupation. It is the soul suffusing the body, the light of a low sun blending completely with the sea-mist, or two ideas becoming so intertwined that their boundaries dissolve—a vision of union so complete it questions the very nature of a separate thing.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
First attested in 1636; borrowed from New Latin compenetrātus, perfect passive participle of compenetrō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). By surface analysis, con- + penetrate.
verb
- To penetrate every part of (something); to permeate.e.g.“In this [state] the Deity compenetrates the soul, but in such a hidden way that the soul— […]” — 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 407:
- To penetrate (something) mutually or reciprocally; to interpenetrate.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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