decant
Americanverb (used with object)
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to pour (wine or other liquid) gently so as not to disturb the sediment.
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to pour (a liquid) from one container to another.
verb
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to pour (a liquid, such as wine) from one container to another, esp without disturbing any sediment
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(tr) to rehouse (people) while their homes are being rebuilt or refurbished
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has decantedperfect 3rd person singular
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have decantedperfect
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am decantingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been decantingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is decantingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been decantingperfect progressive
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are decantingprogressive
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decantingparticiple
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decantssingular 3rd person
Past
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had decantedperfect
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was decantingprogressive singular
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were decantingprogressive plural
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had been decantingperfect progressive
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decantedsimple
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decantedparticiple
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
The verb decant means "to pour." Kids moving water back and forth between two cups, your dad pouring a bucket of soapy water in the sink, or a wine expert emptying a bottle of wine into a fancy glass container — all of them are decanting liquids. When you decant, pronounced "dee-CANT," something by slowly pouring it from one bottle to another, you may feel a little bit like a mad scientist or an alchemist. That image would be appropriate, since early on decant was used by alchemists to describe the process of separating a liquid from a sediment by careful pouring. Today, wine lovers do just that — decanting wine to avoid any solid bits — but pouring any liquid can be described as decanting.
Vocabulary lists containing decant
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Hunting by Stars
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
