penetrant

[ pen-i-truhnt ]

noun

1. a person or thing that penetrates.
2. a compound that penetrates the skin, as a lotion or cream.
3. a substance that lowers the surface tension of water; wetting agent.
4. Zoology. a large nematocyst discharging a barbed thread that penetrates the body of the prey and injects a toxic fluid.

adjective

1. penetrating.

penetrant

/ ˈpɛnɪtrənt /

adjective

1. sharp; penetrating

noun

1. chem a substance that lowers the surface tension of a liquid and thus causes it to penetrate or be absorbed more easily
2. a person or thing that penetrates

Other Words From

• un·pene·trant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of penetrant¹

1535–45; < Latin penetrant- (stem of penetrāns ), present participle of penetrāre to penetrate; -ant

Example Sentences

"Apart from a few highly penetrant genes that confer significant cancer risk, the role of heredity factors remains poorly understood, and most malignancies are assumed to result from random errors during cell division or bad luck," said Christina Curtis, PhD, the RZ Cao Professor of Medicine and a professor of genetics and of biomedical data science.

From Science Daily

“It would give us a better sense of how penetrant the virus is in our communities,” said William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University.

From Washington Times

Only five per cent of disease-related gene mutations are fully penetrant, which means they guarantee the disease.

From The New Yorker

Less than 5% of the ones tied to Alzheimer’s are “fully penetrant,” meaning that they guarantee you’ll get the disease, he said.

From Seattle Times

Less than 5% of the ones tied to Alzheimer’s are “fully penetrant,” meaning that they guarantee you’ll get the disease, he said.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• biting
• piercing
• trenchant