Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PERCOLATE

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connect today's word to others: In our word percolate, the "per" part means "through," and the "colate" part is based on the Latin word for "strain." That's why percolate looks a bit like the word colander. So, things that percolate are straining through something: they're sinking in, spreading, permeating, or di____ing (spreading or scattering widely around). (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "PERCOLATE" When a liquid percolates, it trickles through or passes through another substance. (You might like to prepare your coffee this way.) More generally, when something percolates, it gradually spreads all throughout somewhere. Pronunciation: PER kuh late Part of speech: Verb. It's usually intransitive: something percolates; or, something percolates in, through, or throughout something. Other common forms: percolated, percolating, percolation How to use it: We'll focus on using this word abstractly, rather than talking about coffee or physical science. When you say that something is percolating, you're suggesting that it's like a liquid that's slowly seeping all through something: that it's becoming more and more noticeable, important, or widespread, and that people have had more and more time to process it and get used to it. Here are some things that percolate: information, attitudes, feelings, desires, concerns, tension, energy, issues, conflicts, rumors, ideas, and news.  You can simply talk about things percolating: "The rumor percolated all week." Or, talk about things percolating in, through, or throughout something--usually a place, a group of people, or someone's mind or thoughts. And occasionally we'll say that something percolates into a place, that something percolates down through something, that something percolates beneath the surface of something, etc. examples: The staff's frustrations had been ignored and left to percolate for too long. Although more progressive ideas about girls and women were percolating through the nation, those ideas hadn't yet reached my mom's high school, where girls couldn't wear trousers or take shop class. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "percolate" means when you can explain it without saying "pervade" or "saturate." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "The possibility of _____ had been percolating in my mind since _____." Example: "The possibility of learning to play the ukulele had been percolating in my mind since my daughter received one a few Christmases ago." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Subject Line Redux! You know how I fill the subject line of each Make Your Point email with a little comment about the word? Let's revisit some of those subject lines; they make a good study tool. That is, you'll improve your chances of recalling our words when you need them later if you do this now: look at the little comment from the subject line and use that to recall the word, its meaning, and how it connects to the little comment. (For more on active recall and how you can employ it to strengthen your vocabulary, please go here.) In each issue this month, I'll share a puzzle or other activity that prompts you to recall 5 previous words based on their subject lines. (To make your own activities like these, check out the fun and useful Vocabulary Worksheet Factory.) And I'll share the answers in the following issue. From our previous issue:  Answers: Try this today: review today's word: 1. A near opposite of PERCOLATE is A. EBB. B. EMIT. C. ELUCIDATE. 2. The truth about the earth's position in the solar system was startling and unorthodox, its percolation _____. A. urged by our desire to see ourselves as the center of the world B. against traditional ideas harsh and absolute C. through society painful and slow Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. C