PERCOLATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does percolation mean? 

• PERCOLATION (noun)
  The noun PERCOLATION has 3 senses:

1. the slow passage of a liquid through a filtering medium

2. the act of making coffee in a percolator

3. the filtration of a liquid for extraction or purification

  Familiarity information: PERCOLATION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PERCOLATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The slow passage of a liquid through a filtering medium

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

infiltration; percolation

Context example:

the infiltration of seawater through the lava

Hypernyms ("percolation" is a kind of...):

filtration (the process whereby fluids pass through a filter or a filtering medium)

Derivation:

percolate (pass through)

percolate (cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance in order to extract a soluble constituent)

percolate (prepare in a percolator)

percolate (permeate or penetrate gradually)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of making coffee in a percolator

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("percolation" is a kind of...):

cookery; cooking; preparation (the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat)

Derivation:

percolate (prepare in a percolator)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The filtration of a liquid for extraction or purification

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("percolation" is a kind of...):

filtration (the act of changing a fluid by passing it through a filter)

Derivation:

percolate (cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance in order to extract a soluble constituent)

percolate (prepare in a percolator)

 Context examples 

Fluid extract is prepared by percolation and subsequent evaporation such that the ingredient in each milliliter of the fluid extract is equivalent to 1 gram of the dried plant or animal derived matter.

(Fluid Extract Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

These slower "trickle" melts reduce percolation in hillslope soils and allow more water to evaporate, resulting in less streamflow overall.

(Earlier snowmelt decreases streamflow, reduces forests' ability to regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide, NSF)