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.
Sunlight percolated down through the trees. Rumors percolated throughout the town. There is nothing like percolating coffee over an open campfire. Coffee was percolating on the stove.
Recent Examples on the WebThese curatorial aspects of AI art may eventually percolate through curatorial practices in museums or digital exhibitions.Wired, 18 July 2022 Rainwater and air should be able to percolate through the soil to be absorbed by the roots and used to support the growth and health of the tree. Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2022 Vitriol directed at the FBI from Trump supporters has continued to percolate, with Truth Social offering fertile ground. Ben Goggin, NBC News, 12 Aug. 2022 Such whispers are now beginning to percolate out of the Middle Kingdom, which has remained essentially closed to the outside world for the past two years. Jacky Wong, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2022 Wet slides are particularly dangerous in the afternoon after a melt-freeze cycle, when warm weather allows water to percolate the snowpack, creating a weak layer and saturating the slab. The Editors, Outside Online, 18 May 2015 Youngkin hasn't endorsed in either race, nor has Trump, whose false claims of massive voter fraud in the 2020 election have continued to percolate through both primaries. Sarah Rankin, ajc, 19 June 2022 Maximize Let that percolate in your mind for a moment or two. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 June 2022 In 2020, a new spinoff began to percolate: A casting call for a senior citizens series was promoted on-air. Elizabeth Wagmeister, Variety, 28 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin percolatus, past participle of percolare, from per- through + colare to sieve — more at per-, colander