Drip

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /dɹɪp/

Definitions

1. The phenomenon of liquid descending in tiny droplets occurs constantly
2. To fall or let liquid fall drop by drop in a slow or steady manner
3. To produce or release small drops of liquid, often gradually or continuously

Etymology: The verb "drip" descends from Old English "drypan," and behind that lies a Proto-Germanic pair: "drupjaną," meaning to fall in drops, and "drupô," meaning a drop. The noun grew out of the verb in Middle English, and the same family of words appears across the Germanic languages, from Dutch "druipen" to German "tropfen," which shows that the sound-and-sense of a falling drop has been stable for well over a thousand years. The slang sense is a different story. In the modern informal meaning of style and swagger, "drip" comes from the verb sense "to have a superabundance of valuable things," as if a person were dripping with wealth or finery. That figurative stretch, from liquid running off something to an outfit or attitude so lavish it seems to overflow, is the part of the word's history that has changed the most.

Synonyms: leak, trickle, drizzle, flow, seep

Antonyms: pour