Word Study
wet
CIDE DICTIONARY
wet, a. [OE. wet, weet, AS. w; akin to OFries. w, Icel. vātr, Sw. våt, Dan. vaad, and E. water. Water.].
- Containing, or consisting of, water or other liquid; moist; soaked with a liquid; having water or other liquid upon the surface; as, wet land; a wet cloth; a wet table. Shak. [1913 Webster]
- Very damp; rainy; as, wet weather; a wet season. Milton. [1913 Webster]
- Employing, or done by means of, water or some other liquid; as, the wet extraction of copper, in distinction from dry extraction in which dry heat or fusion is employed. [1913 Webster]
- Refreshed with liquor; drunk. Prior. [1913 Webster]
Syn. -- Nasty; humid; damp; moist. See Nasty.
wet, n. [AS. w. See Wet, a. ].
- Water or wetness; moisture or humidity in considerable degree. [1913 Webster]"Have here a cloth and wipe away the wet." [1913 Webster]"Now the sun, with more effectual beams,
Had cheered the face of earth, and dried the wet
From drooping plant." [1913 Webster] - Rainy weather; foggy or misty weather. [1913 Webster]
- A dram; a drink. [1913 Webster]
wet, v. t. [AS. w.].
To fill or moisten with water or other liquid; to sprinkle; to cause to have water or other fluid adherent to the surface; to dip or soak in a liquid; as, to wet a sponge; to wet the hands; to wet cloth. Burke. [1913 Webster]
"Ye mists and exhalations, that now rise . . .
Whether to deck with clouds the uncolored sky,
Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers." [1913 Webster]
Whether to deck with clouds the uncolored sky,
Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers." [1913 Webster]
"Let us drink the other cup to wet our whistles." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
wet, adj., v., & n.
--adj. (wetter, wettest)
1 soaked, covered, or dampened with water or other liquid (a wet sponge; a wet surface; got my feet wet).
2 (of the weather etc.) rainy (a wet day).
3 (of paint, ink, etc.) not yet dried.
4 used with water (wet shampoo).
5 Brit. colloq. feeble, inept.
6 Brit. Polit. colloq. Conservative with liberal tendencies, esp. as regarded by right-wing Conservatives.
7 sl. (of a country, of legislation, etc.) allowing the free sale of alcoholic drink.
8 (of a baby or young child) incontinent (is still wet at night).
--v.tr. (wetting; past and past part. wet or wetted)
1 make wet.
2 a urinate in or on (wet the bed). b refl. urinate involuntarily.
--n.
1 moisture; liquid that wets something.
2 rainy weather; a time of rain.
3 Brit. colloq. a feeble or inept person.
4 Brit. Polit. colloq. a Conservative with liberal tendencies (see sense 6 of adj.).
5 colloq. a drink.
--adj. (wetter, wettest)
1 soaked, covered, or dampened with water or other liquid (a wet sponge; a wet surface; got my feet wet).
2 (of the weather etc.) rainy (a wet day).
3 (of paint, ink, etc.) not yet dried.
4 used with water (wet shampoo).
5 Brit. colloq. feeble, inept.
6 Brit. Polit. colloq. Conservative with liberal tendencies, esp. as regarded by right-wing Conservatives.
7 sl. (of a country, of legislation, etc.) allowing the free sale of alcoholic drink.
8 (of a baby or young child) incontinent (is still wet at night).
--v.tr. (wetting; past and past part. wet or wetted)
1 make wet.
2 a urinate in or on (wet the bed). b refl. urinate involuntarily.
--n.
1 moisture; liquid that wets something.
2 rainy weather; a time of rain.
3 Brit. colloq. a feeble or inept person.
4 Brit. Polit. colloq. a Conservative with liberal tendencies (see sense 6 of adj.).
5 colloq. a drink.
Idiom
wet the baby's head colloq. celebrate its birth with a (usu. alcoholic) drink. wet behind the ears immature, inexperienced. wet blanket see BLANKET. wet dock a dock in which a ship can float. wet dream an erotic dream with involuntary ejaculation of semen. wet fly an artificial fly used under water by an angler. wet look a shiny surface given to clothing materials. wet-nurse n. a woman employed to suckle another's child.
--v.tr.
1 act as a wet-nurse to.
2 colloq. treat as if helpless. wet pack the therapeutic wrapping of the body in wet cloths etc. wet suit a close-fitting rubber garment worn by skin-divers etc. to keep warm. wet through (or to the skin) with one's clothes soaked. wetting agent a substance that helps water etc. to spread or penetrate. wet one's whistle colloq. drink.
--v.tr.
1 act as a wet-nurse to.
2 colloq. treat as if helpless. wet pack the therapeutic wrapping of the body in wet cloths etc. wet suit a close-fitting rubber garment worn by skin-divers etc. to keep warm. wet through (or to the skin) with one's clothes soaked. wetting agent a substance that helps water etc. to spread or penetrate. wet one's whistle colloq. drink.
Derivative
wetly adv. wetness n. wettable adj. wetting n. wettish adj.
Etymology
OE w{aelig}t (adj. & n.), w{aelig}tan (v.), rel. to WATER: in ME replaced by past part. of the verb
THESAURUS
wet
Scotch mist, apish, asinine, asperge, batty, bedew, befooled, beguiled, besotted, bespatter, besprinkle, blood rain, bogginess, boggy, boozy, brainless, buffoonish, canned, cat-and-dog weather, cockeyed, crazy, credulous, dabble, daffy, daft, damp, dampen, dampish, dampness, dank, dash, dazed, deluge, dew, dewiness, dewy, dirty weather, disguised, dizzy, doting, douche, douse, draft, dram, drench, drenched, drink, dripping, drizzle, drop, drown, drunk, dumb, evening mist, exudation, fall, fatuitous, fatuous, fenny, fill, flaky, flurry, fogginess, fond, fool, foolheaded, foolish, fuddled, futile, gaga, gargle, goofy, gout of rain, gulled, guzzle, hose, hose down, humect, humectate, humectation, humid, humidify, humor, idiotic, imbecile, impregnate, inane, inebriated, inept, infatuated, insane, irrigate, jigger, jolt, kooky, lave, libation, loony, mad, make water, marshiness, marshy, maudlin, mist, mistiness, misty rain, mizzle, moist, moisten, moistiness, moistness, moisture, monsoon, moronic, muggy, nip, number one, nutty, paddle, patter, pee, pee-pee, peg, piddle, piss, pitter-patter, pixilated, plastered, potation, potion, precipitation, predominance of Aquarius, pull, pump bilge, rain, raindrop, rainfall, raininess, rains, rainwater, rainy, rainy day, rainy season, rainy weather, rinse, roric, roriferous, round, round of drinks, sappy, saturate, saturated, screwy, senseless, sentimental, sheet of rain, shot, shower, showeriness, silly, sip, slobber, slop, slosh, slug, snifter, snort, soak, soaked, soaking, sodden, soddenness, sogginess, soggy, sop, soppiness, sopping, soppy, souse, soused, sparge, spatter, spell of rain, spend a penny, splash, splatter, sponge, spot, spray, spring rains, sprinkle, stale, sticky, stormy weather, stupid, suck, sup, swampiness, swampy, swash, swig, swill, syringe, tacky, thoughtless, tot, undried, unfrozen hydrometeor, urinate, wacky, wash, water, wateriness, wee-wee, wet down, wet season, wet weather, wetness, wettish, wettishness, witlessROGET THESAURUS
wet
Water
VB be watery, reek, add water, water, wet, moisten, dilute, dip, immerse, merge, immerge, submerge, plunge, souse, duck, drown, soak, steep, macerate, pickle, wash, sprinkle, lave, bathe, affuse, splash, swash, douse, drench, dabble, slop, slobber, irrigate, inundate, deluge, syringe, inject, gargle.N water, serum, serosity, lymph, rheum, diluent, agua, aqua, pani, dilution, maceration, lotion, washing, immersion, humectation, infiltration, spargefaction, affusion, irrigation, douche, balneation, bath, deluge, high water, flood tide, watery, aqueous, aquatic, hydrous, lymphatic, balneal, diluent, drenching, diluted, weak, wet, the waters are out.
Moisture
VB moisten, wet, humect, humectate, sponge, damp, bedew, imbue, imbrue, infiltrate, saturate, soak, drench, be moist, not have a dry thread, perspire.N moisture, moistness, humidity, humectation, madefaction, dew, serein, marsh, hygrometry, hygrometer, moist, damp, watery, madid, roric, undried, humid, sultry, wet, dank, luggy, dewy, roral, rorid, roscid, juicy, wringing wet, soaking wet, wet through to the skin, saturated, swashy, soggy, dabbled, reeking, dripping, soaking, soft, sodden, sloppy, muddy, swampy, irriguous.
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