permeable
adjective
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“Our landscapes are changing … they’re becoming less permeable to wildlife at the precise moment animals need to move most,” writes Ben Goldfarb in his book Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. He’s describing the effects of highway infrastructure and at the same time clearly demonstrating the meaning of permeable, a word that traces back to a combination of the prefix per-, meaning “through,” and the Latin verb meare, meaning “to go” or “to pass.” Accordingly, a permeable landscape—such as one where humans have constructed wildlife overpasses—is one that allows animals to pass and spread through unimpeded. Permeable’s relative, the verb permeate (“to spread or diffuse through”) is another commonly used meare descendent, but other relations haven’t managed to permeate the language quite so widely, such as meatus (“a natural body passage”), congé (“a formal permission to depart”), and irremeable (“offering no possibility of return”).
Examples of permeable in a Sentence
The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2025
Standard filters like reverse osmosis — which runs water through a semi-permeable membrane — typically remove a large portion of microplastics and PFAS.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 10 Mar. 2025
Its patented process creates a semi-permeable protective barrier to slow the moisture movement outward, minimizing warpage, and protecting it from mold, rot and decay.
—Jennifer Castenson, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
That timing isn’t just a matter of convenience—in fact, studies show that the skin barrier is more permeable in the evening hours, which may allow these ingredients to more easily absorb into skin.
—Deanna Pai, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for permeable
Cite this Entry
“Permeable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/permeable. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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permeable
adjective
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permeable
adjective
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