soak

I. verb Etymology: Middle English soken, from Old English socian; akin to Old English sūcan to suck Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to lie immersed in liquid (as water) ; become saturated by or as if by immersion 2. a. to enter or pass through something by or as if by pores or interstices ; permeate b. to penetrate or affect the mind or feelings — usually used with in or into 3. to drink alcoholic beverages intemperately transitive verb 1. to permeate so as to wet, soften, or fill thoroughly 2. to place in a surrounding element (as liquid) to wet or permeate thoroughly 3. to extract by or as if by steeping <

soak the dirt out

> 4. a. to draw or take in by or as if by suction or absorption <

soaked up the sunshine

> b. to intoxicate (oneself) by drinking alcoholic beverages 5. to cause to pay an exorbitant amount • soaker noun Synonyms: soak, saturate, drench, steep, impregnate mean to permeate or be permeated with a liquid. soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing <

soak the garment in soapy water

>. saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held <

a saturated sponge

>. drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured <

clothes drenched by a cloudburst

>. steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (as a color) to the thing immersed <

steep the tea for five minutes

>. impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another <

a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

>. II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a. the act or process of soaking ; the state of being soaked b. that (as liquid) in which something is soaked 2. drunkard 3. slang pawn II,2