damp
/ˈdeə̯mp/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.62 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
In a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist.
adj
adj
Permitting the possession of alcoholic beverages, but not their sale.
noun
Dejection or depression; something that spoils a positive emotion (such as enjoyment, satisfaction, expectation or courage) or a desired activity.
Archaic; Countable; Uncountable
verb
To suppress vibrations (mechanical) or oscillations (electrical) by converting energy to heat (or some other form of energy).
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "25 January 2017, Leena Camadoo writing in The Guardian, Dominican banana producers at sharp end of climate change Once the farms have been drained and the dead plants have been cut down and cleared, farmers then have to be alert for signs of black sigatoka, a devastating fungus which flourishes in damp conditions and can destroy banana farms."
- "She said no more. The trembling Trojans hear, O'erspread with a damp sweat and holy fear."
- "The lawn was still damp so we decided not to sit down."
- "The paint is still damp, so please don't touch it."
- "27 July 2016, Jane O’Faherty in The Irish Independent, Monarchs and prison officers win big on second race day Though Travis's 'Why does it always Rain on Me' boomed around the stands, there were few damp spirits in Galway on day two of the races."
- "All these and more came flocking; but with looks / Down cast and damp."
Etymology
From Middle English dampen (“to stifle; suffocate”), from Old English damp, from Proto-Germanic *dampaz. Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and German Dampf (“vapor, steam, fog”), Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm (“dust”), and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen (“to smoke”). Also Middle English dampen (“to extinguish, choke, suffocate”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈdeə̯mp/