Wet

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /wɛt/

Definitions

1. Having moisture or liquid on the surface; to cause something to become moist or soaked; characterized by being damp or soaked through
2. Containing or covered in water or other liquid; to apply or splash liquid onto something; marked by wetness or damp conditions
3. Covered or soaked with liquid on the surface ; to apply liquid so that something becomes moist ; relating to an environment with rainfall or dampness

Etymology: The English adjective "wet" is a surprising case: it is the old past participle of a verb that has since vanished from common use. The verb "to wet" once meant "to moisten," and its past form "wet," which had been used as a participle, was eventually taken up as an adjective in its own right. Earlier, the adjective existed as Old English "wǣt," meaning wet, moist, or rainy. The word belongs to a large Germanic family. Its relatives include Scots "weit," Icelandic "væta" (to wet), and Dutch "wet," meaning damp or watery, along with Swedish "våt" and Danish "våd." All of them trace back to a Proto-Germanic root, "*wētaz," that described moisture. The shared sense has stayed remarkably steady across more than a thousand years of separate development.

Synonyms: damp, moist, soggy, dripping, soaked

Antonyms: dry, arid, parched, desiccated, dehydrated