douse
or dowse
[dous]
- to plunge into water or the like; drench: She doused the clothes in soapy water.
- to splash or throw water or other liquid on: The children doused each other with the hose.
- to extinguish: She quickly doused the candle's flame with her fingertips.
- Informal. to remove; doff.
- Nautical.
- to lower or take in (a sail, mast, or the like) suddenly.
- to slacken (a line) suddenly.
- to stow quickly.
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- to plunge or be plunged into a liquid.
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- British Dialect. a stroke or blow.
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Origin of douse
First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for douse
Contemporary Examples
Douse the whole thing with some olive oil and add Himalayan pink sea salt to taste.
It was fear of cancer and a douse of hypochondria that brought me to 23andMe in the first place.
23andMe and Me: Why Policymakers Should Set the Genetic Testing Company FreeCharles C. Johnson
February 4, 2014
Fourteen years later, two rookie cops heard gunfire and saw a now 14-year-old Douse coming toward them, that very gun in hand.
One security guard reported that the fire extinguisher failed to work when he tried to douse the flames.
The halon-based fire-suppression systems used by commercial jets in these zones are not able to douse such fires.
Historical Examples
Jack was about to douse the light, but Hemming told him to let it burn on.
The Three MidshipmenW.H.G. Kingston
I mind a sentence in it that must have been a douse of cauld watter—toch!
The Dop DoctorClotilde Inez Mary Graves
If I could only lay in a crick—roll in it—douse my face in it—soak my clothes in it!
'Me-Smith'Caroline Lockhart
Douse your glim, mate; we'll be having them Zeppelins all over us.
Douse my to'-gallant top-lights but we'll have a skirmish now sure.
Frank on the Lower MississippiHarry Castlemon
douse1
dowse
- to plunge or be plunged into water or some other liquid; duck
- (tr) to drench with water, esp in order to wash or clean
- (tr) to put out (a light, candle, etc)
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- an immersion
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Word Origin
C16: perhaps related to obsolete douse to strike, of obscure origin
douse2
- nautical to lower (sail) quickly
- archaic to strike or beat
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- archaic a blow
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Word Origin
C16: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to douse 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for douse
v.
1550s, "to strike, punch," which is perhaps from Middle Dutch dossen "beat forcefully" or a similar Low German word.
Meaning "to strike a sail in haste" is recorded from 1620s; that of "to extinguish (a light)" is from 1785; perhaps influenced by dout (1520s), an obsolete contraction of do out (cf. doff, don). OED regards the meaning "to plunge into water, to throw water over" (c.1600) as a separate word, of unknown origin, though admitting there may be a connection of some sort. Related: Doused; dousing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper