Etymograph

English

semipermeable

From semi- + permeable.

A compound of semi- + permeable

Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one’

Proto-Indo-European *sēmi ‘half’

English semi-

Proto-Indo-European *mey-o-

…

Latin meō ‘to go along, pass or traverse’

Latin permeō ‘to pass through’

Latin permeābilis ‘passable’

Middle English permeable

English permeable

Today it means

adj Permeable to some things and not to others, as a cell membrane which allows some molecules through but blocks other substances.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “semipermeable”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / semipermeable

Shirt and support for this word