- wet
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I. adjective
(wetter; wettest)
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)
b. of natural gas containing appreciable quantities of readily condensable hydrocarbons
2. 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 liquid 6. employing or done by means of or in the presence of water or other liquid <wet extraction of copper> 7. overly sentimental 8. British 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 • wetly adverb • wetness noun 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>. II. noun Date: before 12th century 1. water; also moisture, wetness 2. rainy weather ; rain 3. an advocate of a policy of permitting the sale of intoxicating liquors 4. British one who is wet III. verb (wet or wetted; wetting) Etymology: Middle English weten, from Old English wǣtan, from wǣt, adjective Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. to make wet 2. to urinate in or on <wet his pants> intransitive verb 1. to become wet 2. urinate • wetter noun
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
