dew
[ doo, dyoo ]
/ du, dyu /
noun
moisture condensed from the atmosphere, especially at night, and deposited in the form of small drops upon any cool surface.
something like or compared to such drops of moisture, as in purity, delicacy, or refreshing quality.
moisture in small drops on a surface, as tears or perspiration.
Informal.
verb (used with object)
to wet with or as with dew.
RELATED CONTENT
Are New Idioms Ever Created?Many idioms—expressions that are not taken literally—are so old and so familiar that we don’t think twice about using them. We say, for example, “it’s raining cats and dogs” to indicate that it’s pouring outside, and “comfortable as an old shoe” to explain an easy and familiar relationship. We can trace the etymology of some idioms to books and sayings that were first used hundreds …
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of dew
before 900; Middle English; Old English dēaw; cognate with German Tau, Old Norse dǫgg
Related formsdew·less, adjectiveun·dewed, adjective
Definition for dew (2 of 2)
DEW
[ doo, dyoo ]
/ du, dyu /
distant early warning.
Compare DEW line.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for dew
British Dictionary definitions for dew
dew
/ (djuː) /
noun
- drops of water condensed on a cool surface, esp at night, from vapour in the air
- (in combination)dewdrop
something like or suggestive of this, esp in freshnessthe dew of youth
small drops of moisture, such as tears
verb
(tr) poetic to moisten with or as with dew
Word Origin for dew
Old English dēaw; related to Old High German tou dew, Old Norse dögg
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 dew
dew
Old English deaw, from Proto-Germanic *dawwaz (cf. Old Saxon dau, Old Frisian daw, Middle Dutch dau, Old High German tau, German Tau, Old Norse dögg "dew"), from PIE root *dheu- (2) "to flow" (cf. Sanskrit dhavate "flows, runs").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for dew
dew
[ dōō ]
Water droplets condensed from the air, usually at night, onto cool surfaces near the ground. Dew forms when the temperature of the surfaces falls below the dew point of the surrounding air, usually due to radiational cooling. See also frost.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.