decant

[ dih-kant ]

/ dɪˈkænt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR decant ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to pour (wine or other liquid) gently so as not to disturb the sediment.

to pour (a liquid) from one container to another.

RELATED WORDS

draft, empty

Nearby words

Origin of decant

1625–35; < Medieval Latin dēcanthāre, equivalent to Latin dē- de- + Medieval Latin canth(us) spout, rim of a vessel (Latin: iron band round a wheel < Greek kánthos corner of the eye, tire) + -āre infinitive suffix

Related formsde·can·ta·tion

[dee-kan-tey-shuh n] /ˌdi kænˈteɪ ʃən/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for decant

Cover it, and leave for forty-eight hours; then decant into bottles, being careful to leave all sediment behind.
What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes|Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Boil for five minutes, allow to stand, and decant off clear fluid from sediment.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
Decant the clear liquid from the sediment after a week or ten days rest.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
And after Lady Watcyn, advances the old doctor with a dozen of port, forty years upon it, and a long sermon on how to decant it.
The Great Return|Arthur Machen

After most of the curd has settled, decant as much as possible of the fat.
Detection of the Common Food Adulterants|Edwin M. Bruce

British Dictionary definitions for decant

decant

/ (dɪˈkænt) /

verb

to pour (a liquid, such as wine) from one container to another, esp without disturbing any sediment

(tr) to rehouse (people) while their homes are being rebuilt or refurbished

Word Origin for decant

C17: from Medieval Latin dēcanthāre, from canthus spout, rim; see canthus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for decant

decant

1630s, "pour off the clear liquid from a solution by gently tipping the vessel," originally an alchemical term, from French décanter, perhaps from Medieval Latin decanthare "to pour from the edge of a vessel," from de- + Medieval Latin canthus "corner, lip of a jug," from Latin cantus, canthus "iron rim around a carriage wheel." Related: Decanted; decanting.