percolate
verb
Norman Douglas
Did you know?
Percolate comes from a Latin verb meaning "to put through a sieve". Something that percolates filters through something else, just as small particles pass through a sieve. Water is drawn downward through the soil, and this percolation usually cleans the water. A slow rain is ideal for percolating into the soil, since in a violent rainstorm most of it quickly runs off. For this reason, drip irrigation is the most effective and water-conserving form of irrigation. Percolation isn't always a physical process; awareness of an issue may percolate slowly into the minds of the public, just as Spanish words may gradually percolate into English, often starting in the Southwest.
Examples of percolate in a Sentence
Evan Clark, WWD, 5 Nov. 2024
That's despite some warning signs that have percolated for months, including a choppy job market, high interest rates weighing on homebuilding, higher debt delinquencies and more.
—Courtenay Brown, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
Marianna may have been vindicated, but conspiracies about the Butterfly Center continued to percolate online.
—Outside Online, 16 Oct. 2024
Even though those other factors have been percolating for a while, former Californians are shouldering much of the state’s conservative ire.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for percolate 
Dictionary Entries Near percolate
Cite this Entry
“Percolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/percolate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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percolate
verb
Medical Definition
percolate
1 of 2 verb
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