drench
- to wet thoroughly; soak.
- to saturate by immersion in a liquid; steep.
- to cover or fill completely; bathe: trees drenched with sunlight.
- Veterinary Medicine. to administer a draft of medicine to (an animal), especially by force: to drench a horse.
- Archaic. to cause to drink.
- the act of drenching.
- something that drenches: a drench of rain.
- a preparation for drenching or steeping.
- a solution, especially one of fermenting bran, for drenching hides or skins.
- a large drink or draft.
- a draft of medicine, especially one administered to an animal by force.
- Horticulture. a mixture of pesticide and water applied to the soil surrounding a plant.
Origin of drench
Synonyms for drench
Related Words for drenching
inundate, soak, deluge, saturate, drown, douse, submerge, impregnate, steep, immerse, dunk, souse, teem, flood, pour, sop, seethe, duck, dip, imbrueExamples from the Web for drenching
Contemporary Examples of drenching
I blasted the Beastie Boys and chemically straightened my curls, drenching them with Sun-In until I, too, had long, golden waves.
The wind is fierce—gusts are blowing rain like wet bullets, drenching everything.
Defensiveness has swept over the culture like a giant wave, drenching daily choices in cold water.
Historical Examples of drenching
Rain came, in a torrent of water, heavy as lead, drenching her to the skin.
The Innocent AdventuressMary Hastings Bradley
Wilson returned no more, and the promise of a drenching was never fulfilled.
The Shadow of a CrimeHall Caine
"I think we are in for a drenching, May," said Hil, looking anxiously round.
Australia RevengedBoomerang
A wave broke over the bows of the vessel, drenching them with spray.
The TraitorsE. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
He had taken cold from his drenching, and was shivering and feverish by turns.
Left on LabradorCharles Asbury Stephens
drench
- to make completely wet; soak
- to give liquid medicine to (an animal), esp by force
- the act or an instance of drenching
- a dose of liquid medicine given to an animal
Word Origin for drench
Word Origin and History for drenching
drench
c.1200, "to submerge, drown," from Old English drencan "give drink to, ply with drink, make drunk; soak, saturate; submerge, drown," causative of drincan "to drink" (see drink), from Proto-Germanic *drankijan (cf. Old Norse drekkja, Swedish dränka, Dutch drenken, German tränken, Gothic dragkjan "to give to drink"). Sense of "to wet thoroughly by throwing liquid over" is from c.1550. Related: Drenched; drenching.