Interpenetrated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have passed through and become intertwined, resulting in a combination of elements or characteristics
2. To have permeated and intermingled, leading to an inseparable fusion of distinct components
3. To have merged and infiltrated, producing a seamless integration of various aspects or qualities

Etymology: This is a past-tense form, so it traces back to "interpenetrate," which is formed from the Latin prefix "inter-" ("between, among") and "penetrate," meaning to pierce or enter into something. Literally, then, to interpenetrate is to penetrate between or among things, so that they pass into one another. The root of "penetrate" is the Latin "penetrare," "to enter inside, to go into," built on "penus," the inner part of a house or the storeroom. The prefix and base combine in English as a straightforward compound, so the word's sense of mutual, deep mixing follows directly from its parts: two substances that interpenetrate are each entering the other, rather than one simply piercing the other.

Synonyms: intermingled, interwoven