Bedew

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cover or sprinkle with drops of moisture; to make wet or damp as if by dew; to soak or provide a fine sprinkling of liquid
2. To wet thoroughly by applying tiny drops; to moisten as if with natural condensation; to saturate lightly with a liquid substance
3. To cause to be dampened with small droplets; to envelop in a fine mist of moisture; to infuse gently with water or other wetness

Etymology: "Bedew" is a plain formation: the prefix "be-", which in Old and Middle English could turn a noun or verb into one meaning "to cover or affect thoroughly with," joined to "dew," the moisture that gathers on grass and leaves overnight. So the word literally means to cover something with dew, and then, by extension, to sprinkle it with drops of any kind. The verb appeared in Middle English as "bidewen" or "bideawen," and it has close relatives in other Germanic languages, including Dutch "bedauwen" and German "betauen," both meaning the same thing. That shared pattern suggests the formation was natural to speakers of the early Germanic languages, each of which built the same verb from its own word for dew.

Synonyms: moisten, dampen, wet, sprinkle, dew

Antonyms: dry, dehydrate, wither