Definition of PERCOLATE

percolate

Plural: percolates

Noun

  • the product of percolation
  • A liquid that has been percolated.

Verb

  • permeate or penetrate gradually
  • spread gradually
    • "Light percolated into our house in the morning"
  • prepare in a percolator
    • "percolate coffee"
  • cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance in order to extract a soluble constituent
  • pass through
  • gain or regain energy
  • To pass a liquid through a porous substance; to filter.
  • To drain or seep through a porous substance.
  • To make (coffee) in a percolator.
  • To spread slowly or gradually; to slowly become noticed or realised.

Examples

  • I'll percolate some coffee.
  • Reports on the pitiful state of many prisons have finally percolated through to the Home Office, which has promised to look into the situation.
  • Through media reports it percolated to the surface that the police investigation was profoundly flawed.
  • Water percolates through sand.

Origin / Etymology

From Latin percōlātus, past participle of percōlō (“I filter”), itself, from per (“through”) + cōlō (“I strain”) (from cōlum (“a strainer”), of unknown origin).

Synonyms

filter, gain vigor, leach, perk, perk up, permeate, pick up, sink in

Scrabble Score: 13

percolate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
percolate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
percolate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

percolate: valid Words With Friends Word