Word Study
soak
CIDE DICTIONARY
soak, v. t. [OE. soken, AS. socian to sioak, steep, fr. scan, sgan, to suck. See Suck.].
- To cause or suffer to lie in a fluid till the substance has imbibed what it can contain; to macerate in water or other liquid; to steep, as for the purpose of softening or freshening; as, to soak cloth; to soak bread; to soak salt meat, salt fish, or the like. [1913 Webster]
- To drench; to wet thoroughly. [1913 Webster]"Their land shall be soaked with blood." [1913 Webster]
- To draw in by the pores, or through small passages; as, a sponge soaks up water; the skin soaks in moisture. [1913 Webster]
- To make (its way) by entering pores or interstices; -- often with through. [1913 Webster]"The rivulet beneath soaked its way obscurely through wreaths of snow." [1913 Webster]
- Fig.: To absorb; to drain. Sir H. Wotton. [1913 Webster]
soak, v. i.
- To lie steeping in water or other liquid; to become sturated; as, let the cloth lie and soak. [1913 Webster]
- To enter (into something) by pores or interstices; as, water soaks into the earth or other porous matter. [1913 Webster]
- To drink intemperately or gluttonously. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
soak, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. & intr. make or become thoroughly wet through saturation with or in liquid.
2 tr. (of rain etc.) drench.
3 tr. (foll. by in, up) a absorb (liquid). b acquire (knowledge etc.) copiously.
4 refl. (often foll. by in) steep (oneself) in a subject of study etc.
5 intr. (foll. by in, into, through) (of liquid) make its way or penetrate by saturation.
6 tr. colloq. extract money from by an extortionate charge, taxation, etc. (soak the rich).
7 intr. colloq. drink persistently, booze.
8 tr. (as soaked adj.) very drunk.
--n.
1 the act of soaking or the state of being soaked.
2 a drinking-bout.
3 colloq. a hard drinker.
--v.
1 tr. & intr. make or become thoroughly wet through saturation with or in liquid.
2 tr. (of rain etc.) drench.
3 tr. (foll. by in, up) a absorb (liquid). b acquire (knowledge etc.) copiously.
4 refl. (often foll. by in) steep (oneself) in a subject of study etc.
5 intr. (foll. by in, into, through) (of liquid) make its way or penetrate by saturation.
6 tr. colloq. extract money from by an extortionate charge, taxation, etc. (soak the rich).
7 intr. colloq. drink persistently, booze.
8 tr. (as soaked adj.) very drunk.
--n.
1 the act of soaking or the state of being soaked.
2 a drinking-bout.
3 colloq. a hard drinker.
Derivative
soakage n. soaker n. soaking n. & adj.
Etymology
OE socian rel. to soc sucking at the breast, sucan SUCK
THESAURUS
soak
absorb, alcoholic, assimilate, bang, bash, bat, bathe, belt, bender, bib, bibber, biff, bleed, bleed white, bonk, booze, boozehound, boozer, bottle sucker, brannigan, brew, brewing, bum, bust, busy, choke, clap, clip, clobber, clout, clump, coldcock, concentrate, congest, crack, cram, crowd, cut, dash, deal, deal a blow, deck, decoct, deluge, dip, dipsomaniac, distill, douche, douse, dowse, drain the cup, dram, draw, drench, drenching, drink, drink bottoms-up, drink deep, drink hard, drink off, drink up, drinker, drouk, drown, drunk, drunkard, ducking, dunking, elbow bender, engross, essentialize, exploit, express, fetch, fetch a blow, fleece, flush, follow strong drink, gargle, ginhound, glut, gluttonize, gorge, gouge, grog, guzzle, guzzler, hit, hit a clip, hold up, hooch hound, imbibe, imbrue, imbruement, imbue, imbuement, immerse, impregnate, impregnation, inebriate, infiltrate, infiltration, infuse, infusion, inject, injection, inundate, jab, jag, jam, jam-pack, knock, knock back, knock cold, knock down, knock out, lap, lap up, lave, leach, leaching, learn, let have it, liquor up, lixiviate, lixiviation, lush, lusher, macerate, maceration, melt down, nip, occupy, overburden, overcharge, overfeed, overfill, overlade, overload, overprice, overstuff, overtax, overweight, pack, paste, penetrate, percolate, percolation, permeate, permeation, pervade, plunk, poke, press out, profiteer, pulping, punch, quaff, refine, render, rinse, rum hound, rummy, satiate, saturate, saturation, screw, seethe, seething, sip, skin, slam, slog, slug, smack, smite, snap, soak up, soakage, soaker, soaking, sock, sodden, sop, sopping, sot, souse, sousing, sponge, sponge up, steep, steeping, stew, stick, sting, strike, strike at, stuff, submerge, sup, supercharge, supersaturate, surcharge, surfeit, swat, swig, swill, swillbelly, swillbowl, swillpot, swindle, swipe, take in, tank up, tear, thump, thwack, tipple, tippler, tope, toper, toss down, toss off, victimize, wallop, wash, waterlog, wet, whack, wham, whop, wino, wring, wring out, yerkROGET THESAURUS
soak
Drunkenness
VB get drunk, be drunk, see double, take a drop too much, take a glass too much, drink, tipple, tope, booze, bouse, guzzle, swill, soak, sot, bum, besot, have a jag on, have a buzz on, lush, bib, swig, carouse, sacrifice at the shrine of Bacchus, take to drinking, drink hard, drink deep, drink like a fish, have one's swill, drain the cup, splice the main brace, take a hair of the dog that bit you, liquor, liquor up, wet one's whistle, take a whet, crack a bottle, pass the bottle, toss off, go to the alehouse, go to the public house, make one drunk, inebriate, fuddle, befuddle, fuzzle, get into one's head.Insertion
VB insert, introduce, intromit, put into, run into, import, inject, interject, infuse, instill, inoculate, impregnate, imbue, imbrue, graft, ingraft, bud, plant, implant, dovetail, obtrude, thrust in, stick in, ram in, stuff in, tuck in, press, in, drive in, pop in, whip in, drop in, put in, impact, empierce, imbed, immerse, immerge, merge, bathe, soak, dip, plunge, bury, insert itself, lodge itself, plunge in medias res.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.Moisture
VB moisten, wet, humect, humectate, sponge, damp, bedew, imbue, imbrue, infiltrate, saturate, soak, drench, be moist, not have a dry thread, perspire.For further exploring for "soak" in Webster Dictionary Online