penetration

English

Etymology

From Middle French pénétration, and its source, Latin penetrātiō, from the participle stem of penetro (“pierce”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /pɛnɪˈtɹeɪʃ(ə)n/

  Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

penetration (plural penetrations)

1. The act of penetrating something. [from 15th c.]

   Any penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.

2. Specifically, the insertion of the penis (or similar object) during sexual intercourse. [from 17th c.]
3. The act of penetrating a given situation with the mind or faculties; perception, discernment. [from 17th c.]
   • 1817, Walter Scott, Rob Roy, XVI:

     my observations of her looks and actions became acutely sharpened, and that to a degree which, notwithstanding my efforts to conceal it, could not escape her penetration.

Derived terms

• double penetration
• interpenetration

Translations

act of penetrating

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 滲透 (cmn), 渗透 (cmn) (shèntòu)

• Esperanto: penetro (eo)
• Finnish: läpäisy (fi), lävistys (fi)
• French: pénétration (fr) f
• German: Penetration (de) f
• Greek: διείσδυση (el) (diísdysi) f

• Hungarian: behatolás (hu)
• Italian: penetrazione (it)
• Japanese: 浸透 (ja) (しんとう, shintō)
• Latin: penetratio (la)
• Portuguese: penetracão (pt) f
• Russian: проникание (ru) (pronikánije) n, проникновение (ru) (proniknovenije) n
• Spanish: penetración (es) f