porous

American  

[pawr-uhs, pohr-] / ˈpɔr əs, ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

1. full of pores.

2. permeable by water, air, etc.

   Synonyms:

   riddled, sievelike, pervious, penetrable

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porous British  

/ ˈpɔːrəs /

adjective

1. permeable to water, air, or other fluids

2. biology geology having pores; poriferous

3. easy to cross or penetrate

   the porous border into Thailand

   the most porous defence in the league

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porous Scientific  

/ pôr′əs /

1. Having many pores or other small spaces that can hold a gas or liquid or allow it to pass through.

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Other Word Forms

• nonporous adjective
• nonporousness noun
• porously adverb
• porousness noun
• unporous adjective
• unporousness noun

Etymology

Origin of porous

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, variant of porose, from Medieval Latin porōsus; pore ², -ous

Example Sentences

Numbers were once even greater - after a devastating famine in the mid-1990s triggered what rights groups described as a silent exodus over a more porous border with China.

From BBC

“She’s very porous. When you look in her eyes, you see everything. It’s fun to watch them both think.”

From Los Angeles Times

Chalk streams emerge from springs in porous chalk bedrock, which acts as a filter to remove sediment, characterised by beautifully clear water and a gravelly bottom.

From BBC

They’re porous defensively and have a boring, predictable offense largely consisting of alternating one-on-one isolations between their “Big Three” most every trip down the court.

From Los Angeles Times

In fact, elephant whiskers are almost blade-like, with a porous architecture similar to sheep horns, which helps with shock absorption while eating.

From Barron's