Drools

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To unintentionally release saliva from the mouth while craving something intensely or exhibiting uncontrolled enthusiasm for it
2. To excessively wet one’s mouth with saliva while demonstrating strong desire or excitement in an overt way
3. To let saliva escape from the mouth accidentally or spontaneously ; to express eager longing or admiration openly

Etymology: "Drools" is the third-person singular present form of "drool", so the history belongs to the verb itself. "Drool" arrived from an earlier form, "drule", which seems to be a worn-down version of "drivel", the word for foolish talk. The change was a kind of clipping: "drivel" lost its ending and softened into "drule" before settling as "drool". The same thing happened with "snool", a older form of "snivel", which points to a pattern of speech sounds wearing down over time. The verb has cousins elsewhere in Europe. Middle English had "drullen", meaning to stagger or drool, and Dutch has "druilen", meaning to be listless or to snooze. The overlap in sense suggests a shared idea of loose, slack behaviour, though the exact family link is not fully settled.

Synonyms: slobbers, dribbles, salivates, sputters, spills

Antonyms: swallows, contains, keeps, holds, restrains