PEN'ETRATE, verb transitive [Latin penetro, from the root of pen, a point.] 1. To enter or pierce; to make way into another body; as, a sword or dart penetrates the body; oil penetrates wood; marrow, the most penetrating of oil substances. 2. To affect the mind; to cause to feel. I am penetrated with a lively sense of your generosity. 3. To reach by the intellect; to understand; as, to penetrate the meaning or design of any thing. 4. To enter; to pass into the interior; as, to penetrate a country. PEN'ETRATE, verb intransitive To pass; to make way. Born where heaven's influence scarce can penetrate 1. To make way intellectually. He had not penetrated into the designs of the prince.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI