percolation

US: /ˌpɝkəˈleɪʃən/ ,(pûr′kə lā′shən)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

per•co•la•tion  (pûr′kə lā′shən), n. 

1. the act or state of percolating or of being percolated.
2. Drugs [Pharm.] the extraction of the soluble principles of a crude drug by the passage of a suitable liquid through it.
3. Geology the slow movement of water through the pores in soil or permeable rock.

• Latin percōlātiōn- (stem of percōlātiō). See percolate, -ion
• 1605–15

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

per•co•late /ˈpɜrkəˌleɪt;/   v., -lat•ed, -lat•ing. 

1. to (cause a liquid to) pass through something that traps solid materials;
   to filter: [no object]
   While the coffee was percolating, we ate a few donuts.
   [~ + object]
   The new machine percolates the coffee in just under a minute.
2. to spread or grow gradually:
   [no object] The news about the upcoming firings percolated through the office.

per•co•la•tion /ˌpɜrkəˈleɪʃən/  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

per•co•late  (v. pûr′kə lāt′;n. pûr′kə lit, -lāt′), v., -lat•ed, -lat•ing, n. 
v.t. 

1. to cause (a liquid) to pass through a porous body;
   filter.
2. (of a liquid) to filter through;
   permeate.
3. Food to brew (coffee) in a percolator.

v.i. 

4. to pass through a porous substance;
   filter;
   ooze;
   seep;
   trickle.
5. to become percolated:
   The coffee is starting to percolate.
6. to become active, lively, or spirited.
7. to show activity, movement, or life;
   grow or spread gradually;
   germinate:
   Interest in the idea has begun to percolate.

n. 

8. a percolated liquid.

• Latin percōlātus, past participle of percōlāre to filter. See per-, colander, -ate¹
• 1620–30

per′co•la•ble, adj. 
per′co•la′tive, adj. 
Pronunciation

The pronunciation of percolate as (pûr′kyə lāt′), with an intrusive y-glide, results from analogy with words like circulate and matriculate, where the unstressed vowel following the k-sound is symbolized by a u spelling, making the y-glide mandatory. In similar words where (k) is followed by some other vowel, the (y) represents a hypercorrection. The pronunciation of escalate as (es′kyə lāt′) is another such example. See coupon, new.