Word of the Day

: May 26, 2012

pervade

verb per-VAYD

What 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").