Word of the Day
: May 26, 2012pervade
playWhat It Means
: to become diffused throughout every part of
pervade in Context
Jennifer's new perfume was lovely, but she applied it with such a generous hand that the scent pervaded the entire room.
"Lowballing pervades the home mortgage market because lenders being compared to other lenders usually have no other way to distinguish themselves." - From an article by Jack Guttentag in Inman News, March 5, 2012
Did You Know?
English speakers borrowed "pervade" in the mid-17th century from Latin "pervadere," meaning "to go through." "Pervadere," in turn, was formed by combining the prefix "per-," meaning "through," with the verb "vadere," meaning "to go." Synonyms of "pervade" include "permeate," "impregnate," and "saturate." "Pervade" stresses a spreading diffusion throughout every part of a whole ("art and music pervade every aspect of their lives"). "Permeate" implies diffusion specifically throughout a material thing ("a green dye permeating a garment"). "Impregnate" suggests a forceful influence or effect on something throughout ("impregnate the cotton with alcohol"). "Saturate" is used when nothing more may be taken up or absorbed ("cloth saturated with water").
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Word Family Quiz
What relative of "pervade" begins with "e" and can mean "to manage to avoid"? The answer is ...
