permeate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 21, 2025 is: permeate \PER-mee-ayt\ verb To permeate is to pass or spread through something. // The scent of lilacs permeated the room. // A feeling of anxiety permeated the office as everyone rushed to meet the deadline. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/permeate) Examples: "The smell of sawdust permeates the air, and the din of buzzing chainsaws echoes from crews working to clear debris." — Chris Boyette, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024 Did you know? Permeate was borrowed into English in the 17th century from Latin permeatus, which comes from the prefix per- ("through") and the verb meare, meaning "to go" or "to pass." Meare hasn't exactly permeated English. Aside from permeate itself, its other English descendants include the relatively common [permeable](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/permeable) as well as the medical [meatus](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meatus) ("a natural body passage") and the downright rare [irremeable](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irremeable) ("offering no possibility of return").