penetration

From Middle English penetracioun, from Old French penetracïon, and its source, Latin penetrātiō, from the participle stem of penetrō (“pierce”, verb). Morphologically penetrate +‎ -ion

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɛnɪˈtɹeɪʃ(ə)n/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

  Rhymes: -eɪʃən

penetration (countable and uncountable, plural penetrations)

1. The act of penetrating something. [from 15th c.]

   Any penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.

2. Specifically, the insertion of the penis (or similar object) during sexual intercourse. [from 17th c.]
3. The act of penetrating a given situation with the mind or faculties; perception, discernment. [from 17th c.]
   • 1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], Rob Roy. […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:

     my observations of her looks and actions became acutely sharpened, and that to a degree which, notwithstanding my efforts to conceal it, could not escape her penetration.

   • 1859, Henry David Thoreau, A Plea for Captain John Brown‎:

     I have no respect for the penetration of any man who can read the report of that conversation, and still call the principal in it insane.

4. (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.
5. (marketing) The proportion of the target audience who buy the advertised product or service.

penetration c

1. penetration

• penetrera (“penetrate”)

• penetration in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• penetration in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)