saturation

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the state or process of being completely soaked, filled, or supplied to capacity

   Days of rain brought the soil close to saturation.

2. 2
   noun

   a point at which no more of something can be absorbed, dissolved, or usefully added

   The market reached saturation after nearly every household bought the product.

3. 3
   noun

   the intensity or purity of a color, measured by how little gray it contains

   Increasing the saturation made the red flowers look unnaturally vivid.

Borrowed from Late Latin saturatio, from Latin saturare, 'to fill or satisfy,' based on satur, 'full.' The physical idea of complete filling produced technical senses in chemistry, markets, electronics, and color theory, where saturation measures purity or intensity.

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