penetration
UK /pɛ.nɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/ · US /pɛ.nəˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/ noun
Forms penetrations
- noun The act of penetrating something.
- noun The insertion of the penis (or similar object) during sexual intercourse. “Any penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.”
- noun The act of penetrating a given situation with the mind or faculties; perception, discernment.
- noun The act of progressing or moving forward through or into something.
- noun (blackjack) A number or fraction that represents how many cards/decks will be dealt before shuffling, in contrast to the total number of cards/decks in play.
- noun (marketing) The proportion of the target audience who buy or use the specified product or service.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English penetracioun, from Old French penetracïon, and its source, Latin penetrātiō, from the participle stem of penetrō (“pierce”, verb). Morphologically penetrate + -ion.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act or process of penetrating, piercing, or entering; also, the act of mentally penetrating into, or comprehending, anything difficult.
- noun Acuteness; insight; sharp discoverment; sagacity; as, a person of singular penetration. Walpole.
Etymology [L. penetratio: cf. F. pénétration.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “penetration”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details