Showered

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Was drenched or bathed with water, usually from above; received a plentiful or abundant amount of something, such as praise or gifts
2. Experienced water falling over the body typically for cleaning; was given an overflowing quantity of items or emotions, often used figuratively
3. Had water poured or sprinkled over as a form of washing; was generously supplied or covered with things like compliments, attention, or presents

Etymology: The verb "showered" is simply the past tense and past participle of "shower," and the surprise lies in the verb's source. The noun "shower" in the sense of falling rain comes from Old English "sċūr," meaning a storm or short burst of rain, which is ancient and shares roots with German "Schauer" and Dutch "schoer," both still meaning a shower of rain. The sense of a sudden spray of water is an extension of that rainfall meaning, and the washing sense developed from it. The verb's ancestry is a surprise, though. The Middle English "schewere," meaning one who displays something, is not the same word as "shower" in its rain sense, and the two were confused in later English. The Old English "sċēawere" meant an observer or a spy, and it also gave rise to a mirror and an actor, all from the idea of showing or looking. This is a different family from the weather word, and the two ended up sharing a spelling in English.

Synonyms: drenched, soaked, bathed, deluged, splashed

Antonyms: dried, parched, dehydrated, desiccated, emptied