penetrated

Penetrated is the past participle of the verb penetrate, meaning to enter, pass through, or pierce something. It can describe a physical breach, a path into or through a barrier, or a figurative entry into a domain such as a market or a system. The sense emphasizes movement from one side to the other or the completion of entry.

Etymology: From Latin penetrare, with the root penet- meaning deep or through, combined with the agentive suffix -rare, entering English usage in the medieval period.

Contexts:

In physical and biological contexts, penetrating describes the act of piercing a surface or barrier. A penetrating wound involves an object crossing the skin or an anatomical barrier. In materials science and physics, penetration depth is a measure of how far a signal or particle can enter a material before it is attenuated. In armor, weapons, or drilling, penetration refers to breaching a defense or material. In medicine, penetrating trauma is a classification used to describe injuries where a weapon or object breaches the body surface.

In cybersecurity and information technology, penetration testing is a sanctioned, controlled attempt to breach a system to identify vulnerabilities; when a system has been penetrated, it indicates an attacker accessed the system or that a penetration test was successful, prompting remediation.

In economics and marketing, market penetration describes the extent to which a product or service has entered a target market, often assessed by market share, reach, or adoption.