Ooze

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /uːz/

Definitions

1. To slowly leak or seep out from a container or surface, indicating a gradual release of liquid
2. To emit or exude a thick or viscous substance in a slow and deliberate manner
3. To move or flow out slowly and quietly from an opening or surface ; to send out a thick, often sticky substance in a steady, gentle way

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "ooze" is that it has two separate ancestors that merged in English. One strand is the Old English "wōs," meaning "sap" or "froth," which in Middle English became "wose" and eventually gave the verb its sense of something sap-like leaking out. The sap sense has roots reaching back to the Proto-Indo-European word for "sap," which also gave Sanskrit "vásā," meaning "fat." The other strand is more surprising in its imagery. Old English "wāse" meant "mud" or "mire," and it descends from a Germanic root linked to the idea of flowing. Scholars connect that root to the Proto-Indo-European "to flow," which also appears in Sanskrit "viṣyati," meaning "flow, let loose." So the word that now suggests a slow, sticky leak drew on both a sticky plant liquid and a boggy, flowing ground. Over time these two lines blended in Middle English spelling and meaning, and "ooze" settled into the sense of a slow, sticky seepage. The verb form stayed close to the noun, and Swedish "osa," meaning "ooze," shows the same family resemblance.

Synonyms: leak, seep, drip, flow, exude

Antonyms: gush, spout, pour, flood, surge