damp

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments (1)  · 
They had suggested the damp could be a problem caused by internal humidity, and are currently awaiting the next inspection date to see whether ventilation of the property through open windows has helped alleviate the problem.

View all »
Definitions (43)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (12)

  1. adjective Slightly wet. See Synonyms at wet.
  2. adjective Archaic Dejected.
  3. noun Moisture in the air; humidity.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (22)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (6)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • If his situation is at all damp, and there is danger that water will settle under his Protector, let him build it entirely above ground_; otherwise it may be as bad as a damp cellar, and incomparably worse than nothing at all There is one disease, called by the Germans, "foul brood," of which I know nothing, by my own observation, but which is, of all others, the most fatal in its effects. —  Langstroth on the Hive and the Honey-Bee A Bee Keeper's Manual
  • They all knew too well the effect of the fire-damp, and still more destructive choke-damp Is no one going down to bring them up?" —  Taking Tales Instructive and Entertaining Reading
  • The stones of this yard were very damp--and what with the damp, and what with the dust and smoke-grime on the pavement, our feet left a slight impression where we passed. —  The Haunters ; The Haunted Ghost Stories And Tales Of The Supernatural
  • The church has beauties to set against the phenomenon of cow-damp, and among them a very elaborate carved pulpit in various preclious woods, and some fine lamps Ireland tells us that the front doors of many of Broek's houses are opened only twice in their owners' lives--when they marry and when they die. —  A Wanderer in Holland
  • The fur of the mole is admirably adapted from its softness and short close texture for defending the animal from subterraneous damp, which is always injurious, more or less to non-amphibious animals; and in this climate, no choice of situation could entirely guard against it. —  The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 14, No. 397, November 7, 1829
 

Tags

damp hasn't been tagged yet.

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 121 times.

On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Add a related word »
Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

wet ·  moist ·  sodden ·  dusty ·  snowy ·  greasy ·  dank ·  silken ·  outer ·  cool ·  crimson

Used in the same contextWord Family

damp:   damper ·  damping ·  damped
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, poison gas, perhaps from Middle Dutch, vapor.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (3)

  1. from Middle English *damp (inferred from the verb) = Dutch damp = Middle Low German Low German damp, vapor, smoke, steam, = Middle High German tampf, dampf, vapor, smoke, German dampf, vapor, steam, = Danish damp, vapor, = Swedish dial. damp-en, damp, Swedish dam (for *damp), dust (Icelandic dampr, danpr, steam, is modern and borrowed); akin to Icelandic dumba = Norwegian demba, mist, fog, = Swedish dimma, formerly dimba, mist, haze; also to G. dumpf, damp, dull, (of sound) low, heavy, muffled, Dutch dompig, damp, hazy, misty; all from the verb representing by Middle High German dimpfen (preterit dampf), reek, smoke, = Swedish dial. dimba, reek, steam. Cf. Greek τύφειν, smoke, τῦφος, smoke, vapor, τυφω̄ν, a storm, Sanskrit dhūpa, incense.
  2. from damp, n.; cf. German dumpf, Dutch dompig, damp, under the noun.
  3. (a) In more literally sense ‘moisten’ first in modern English (= Dutch dampen = German dampfen = Danish dampe, reek, smoke); from the noun. (b) from Middle English dampen, extinguish (= Dutch dempen = Middle Low German dampen, dempen = Middle High German dempfen, German dämpfen = Danish dæmpe = Swedish dämpa, extinguish, smother, deaden), a secondary verb, causal of the orig. verb whence the noun damp is derived: see damp, n. Cf. dampen.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »

/dæmp/
by American Heritage

Charts

frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word a few times a week.

Recently looked up

briefer · Tomaszewski · vivarium · recollect · briefed

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

ultimatum · pew · deadpool · sad panda · nom nom nom