penetration
/pɛ.nəˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.71 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The insertion of the penis (or similar object) during sexual intercourse.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The act of penetrating a given situation with the mind or faculties; perception, discernment.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
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.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The proportion of the target audience who buy or use the specified product or service.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Any penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense."
- "[…] 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."
- "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."
- "Arsenal lacked urgency and penetration in a lazy, lacklustre opening half, sucked in by Forest's strategy of sitting back in blocks of defence waiting to hit them on the counter."
- "The electrification of the lines radiating from Casablanca originated with the policy of economic penetration and conciliation pursued by Marshal Lyautey for the pacification of Morocco."
Etymology
From Middle English penetracioun, from Old French penetracïon, and its source, Latin penetrātiō, from the participle stem of penetrō (“pierce”, verb). Morphologically penetrate + -ion.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pɛ.nəˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
- British English: /pɛ.nɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/