- Main Entry:
- 1wet
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈwet\
- Function:
- adjective
- Inflected Form(s):
- wet·ter; wet·test
- Etymology:
- Middle English, partly from past participle of weten to wet & partly from Old English wǣt wet; akin to Old Norse vātr wet, Old English wæter water
- Date:
- before 12th century
1 a: consisting of, containing, covered with, or soaked with liquid (as water) bof natural gas : containing appreciable quantities of readily condensable hydrocarbons2: rainy <wet weather>3: still moist enough to smudge or smear <wet paint>4 a: drunk 1a <a wet driver> b: having or advocating a policy permitting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages <a wet county> <a wet candidate>5: preserved in liquid6: employing or done by means of or in the presence of water or other liquid <wet extraction of copper>7: overly sentimental8British a: lacking strength of character : weak, spineless <thought him wet and violence petrified him — William Golding> b: belonging to the moderate or liberal wing of the Conservative party
— wet·ly adverb
— wet·ness noun
—
all wet : completely wrong : in error
synonyms wet,
damp,
dank,
moist,
humid mean covered or more or less soaked with liquid.
wet usually implies saturation but may suggest a covering of a surface with water or something (as paint) not yet dry
<slipped on the wet pavement>.
damp implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture
<clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place>.
dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness
<a prisoner in a cold, dank cell>.
moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry
<treat the injury with moist heat>.
humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air
<a hot, humid climate>.
