Word of the Day - 08/07/26
pervasive
/'pərveɪsɪv/(adj.): spreading or spread throughout
The pervasive odor of smoke clung to the curtains long after the fire.
Word Origin
The word 'pervasive' originates from the Latin verb 'pervadere', which means 'to go through' or 'to spread throughout'. It is formed from the prefix 'per-' meaning 'through' or 'thoroughly', and 'vadere' meaning 'to go' or 'to walk'.
Words with similar origins include 'evade' (from Latin 'evadere', 'e-' meaning 'out' + 'vadere' 'to go'), 'invade' (from Latin 'invadere', 'in-' meaning 'into' + 'vadere' 'to go'), and 'wade' (from Proto-Germanic *wadanan, a cognate to Latin 'vadere', both deriving from a common Proto-Indo-European root related to going or moving through).