pervious

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   able to be penetrated or passed through by water, air, or another substance

   The pervious paving allowed rainwater to drain into the soil.

2. 2
   adj

   literary: open or susceptible to an influence, feeling, or idea

   His stern manner remained pervious to an occasional appeal for mercy.

3. 3
   adj

   archaic: capable of being seen through or understood

   The scholar made the dense argument pervious to ordinary readers.

Borrowed from Latin pervius ('having a way through; passable'), from per- ('through') + via ('way, road'), with English -ous. The physical idea of admitting passage extended figuratively to minds or feelings that admit influence and to language that can be understood.

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