3. To pierce into by the mind; to arrive at the inner contents or
meaning of, as of a mysterious or difficult subject; to comprehend; to
understand.
Things which here were too subtile for us to penetrate.
Ray.
Pen"e*trate, v. i. To pass; to make way; to pierce. Also used
figuratively.
Preparing to penetrate to the north and west.
J. R. Green.
Born where Heaven's influence scarce can penetrate.
Pope.
The sweet of life that penetrates so near.
Daniel.
Pen"e*tra`ting (?), a. 1. Having the power of entering, piercing, or
pervading; sharp; subtile; penetrative; as, a penetrating odor.
2. Acute; discerning; sagacious; quick to discover; as, a penetrating
mind.
Pen"e*tra`ting*ly, adv. In a penetrating manner.
Pen"e*tra`tion (?), n. [L. penetratio: cf. F. pÈnÈtration.] 1. The act
or process of penetrating, piercing, or entering; also, the act of
mentally penetrating into, or comprehending, anything difficult.
And to each in ward part, With gentle penetration, though unseen,
Shoots invisible virtue even to the deep.
Milton.
A penetration into the difficulties of algebra.
Watts.
2. Acuteness; insight; sharp discoverment; sagacity; as, a person of
singular penetration. Walpole.
Syn. -- Discernment; sagacity; acuteness; sharpness; discrimination.
See Discernment, and Sagacity.
Pen"e*tra*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. pÈnÈtratif.] 1. Tending to penetrate; of
a penetrating quality; piercing; as, the penetrative sun.
His look became keen and penetrative.
Hawthorne.
2. Having the power to affect or impress the mind or heart; impressive;
as, penetrative shame. Shak.
3. Acute; discerning; sagacious; as, penetrative wisdom. "The
penetrative eye." Wordsworth.
Led on by skill of penetrative soul.
Grainger.
Pen"e*tra*tive*ness, n. The quality of being penetrative.
Pen"fish` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A squid.
Pen"fold` (?), n. See Pinfold.
Pen"go*lin (?), n. (Zoˆl.)The pangolin.
Pen"guin (?), n. [Perh. orig. the name of another bird, and fr. W. pen
head + gwyn white; or perh. from a native South American name.] 1.
(Zoˆl.) Any bird of the order Impennes, or Ptilopteri. They are covered
with short, thick feathers, almost scalelike on the wings, which are
without true quills. They are unable to fly, but use their wings to aid
in diving, in which they are very expert. See King penguin, under
Jackass.
Penguins are found in the south temperate and antarctic regions. The
king penguins (Aptenodytes Patachonica, and A. longirostris) are the
largest; the jackass penguins (Spheniscus) and the rock hoppers
(Catarractes) congregate in large numbers at their breeding grounds.
2. (Bot.) The egg-shaped fleshy fruit of a West Indian plant (Bromelia
Pinguin) of the Pineapple family; also, the plant itself, which has
rigid, pointed, and spiny- toothed leaves, and is used for hedges.
[Written also pinguin.]
Arctic penguin (Zoˆl.), the great auk. See Auk.
Pen"guin*er*y (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A breeding place, or rookery, of
penguins.
Pen"hold`er (?), n. A handle for a pen.