Perforates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Creates holes or openings through a surface, typically by piercing or drilling
2. Pierces a material to form holes for separation or decoration
3. Punctures through an object to allow passage or division

Etymology: "Perforates" is the third-person singular present form of "perforate," so the history belongs to the verb itself. The root is the Latin verb "perforo," meaning to bore or pierce through, built from "per," meaning through, and "foro," meaning to bore or pierce. The Latin past participle "perforatus" passed into Middle English as an adjective meaning pierced or punctured, and that adjective is attested as early as 1425. The verb followed in 1538, when English speakers began using it as an action in its own right. The Latin root "foro" is a plain, physical word about making a hole, which explains why the English sense has stayed so literal. Nothing in the word's journey moved it far from drilling and piercing, and that concreteness is still the core of the modern meaning.

Synonyms: pierces, punctures

Antonyms: fills, closes