English vocabulary · C1
Percolate
/ˈpɜːr.kə.leɪt/ · v.
It means to move slowly through something, little by little. A liquid filters through, or an idea spreads quietly over time.
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Example sentences
- Water percolates through the soil after rain.
- The new idea slowly percolated through the whole team.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- per — through (from Latin)
- col — filter (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- SEEP — pass slowly through a surface (Liquid & Physical)
- FILTER — pass through and remove things (Clean While Passing)
- SPREAD — move outward to many people (Broad & Social)
Words with the same root
col — filter
- colander — a bowl with holes used to drain food
Lesson notes
Percolate. It means to move slowly through something, little by little. A liquid filters through, or an idea spreads quietly over time.
Similar words are seep, filter, and spread. Use percolate when something moves slowly through a material or a group of people.
Water percolates through the soil after rain. The new idea slowly percolated through the whole team.
From Latin. per- means through. col- means filter. Something that filters through, slowly and completely — that is to percolate.