porous

[pawr-uhs, pohr-]

adjective

1. full of pores.

2. permeable by water, air, etc.

   Synonyms: riddled, sievelike, pervious, penetrable

porous

/ ˈpɔːrəs /

adjective

1. permeable to water, air, or other fluids

2. biology geology having pores; poriferous

3. easy to cross or penetrate

   the porous border into Thailand

   the most porous defence in the league

porous

1. Having many pores or other small spaces that can hold a gas or liquid or allow it to pass through.

Other Word Forms

• porously adverb
• porousness noun
• nonporous adjective
• nonporousness noun
• unporous adjective
• unporousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of porous¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, variant of porose, from Medieval Latin porōsus; pore ², -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of porous¹

C14: from Medieval Latin porōsus, from Late Latin porus _pore ²

Example Sentences

This stone is too porous, that boulder is too jagged; none of them has a square footage large enough to crush me so flat that an airtight seal will form between myself and the ground.

From Salon

This, alongside the park’s porous landscape and additional retention ponds, enable it to capture 23 million gallons of stormwater during Bangkok’s rainiest months.

From Los Angeles Times

Nigeria's porous borders, widespread corruption and weak enforcement have made it a key transit hub for ivory, pangolin scales and other wildlife products.

From BBC

Even Seoul’s wealthiest neighborhoods feel, to an extent that is hard to see in many American cities, porous and accessible.

From Los Angeles Times

The dam between us had always been porous.

From Salon