mist

[ mist ]

/ mɪst /

noun

a cloudlike aggregation of minute globules of water suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface, reducing visibility to a lesser degree than fog.

a cloud of particles resembling this: She sprayed a mist of perfume onto her handkerchief.

something that dims, obscures, or blurs: the mist of ignorance.

a haze before the eyes that dims the vision: a mist of tears.

a suspension of a liquid in a gas.

a drink of liquor served over cracked ice.

a fine spray produced by a vaporizer to add moisture to the air for breathing.

verb (used without object)

to become misty.

to rain in very fine drops; drizzle (usually used impersonally with it as subject): It was misting when they went out for lunch.

verb (used with object)

to make misty.

to spray (plants) with a finely diffused jet of water, as a means of replacing lost moisture.

Nearby words

Origin of mist

before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, Low German, Swedish mist; akin to Greek omíchlē fog, Russian mgla mist, Sanskrit megha cloud; (v.) Middle English misten, Old English mistian, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR mist

3, 4 See cloud.

Related formsmist·less, adjectivede·mist, verb (used with object)un·der·mist, noun

Can be confusedmidst missed mist

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

Examples from the Web for misting

They trotted briskly around the corner on to the Avenue, and as it was misting heavily the driver let down the glass shield.
One Woman's Life|Robert Herrick
It was misting by then, and a chilling suggestion of autumn was in the air.
Full-Back Foster|Ralph Henry Barbour
Is it the fog from outside which has come in and is misting her eyes?
Doctor Cupid|Rhoda Broughton
A thin, misting rain was falling, and the wind swept down in cold legions from the snows of the North.
Caravans By Night|Harry Hervey

Dusk was misting down, outdoors, when with dragging steps he came out of the station.
Gentle Julia|Booth Tarkington

British Dictionary definitions for misting (1 of 2)

misting

/ (ˈmɪstɪŋ) /

noun

the act or an instance of having an artificial suntan applied to the skin by a fine spray of liquid

British Dictionary definitions for misting (2 of 2)

mist

/ (mɪst) /

noun

a thin fog resulting from condensation in the air near the earth's surface

meteorol such an atmospheric condition with a horizontal visibility of 1–2 kilometres

a fine spray of any liquid, such as that produced by an aerosol container

chem a colloidal suspension of a liquid in a gas

condensed water vapour on a surface that blurs the surface

something that causes haziness or lack of clarity, such as a film of tears

verb

to cover or be covered with or as if with mist

Word Origin for mist

Old English; related to Middle Dutch, Swedish mist, Greek omikhlē fog

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 misting (1 of 2)

mist

Old English mist "dimness (of eyesight), mist" (earliest in compounds, such as misthleoðu "misty cliffs," wælmist "mist of death"), from Proto-Germanic *mikhstaz (cf. Middle Low German mist, Dutch mist, Icelandic mistur, Norwegian and Swedish mist), perhaps from PIE *meigh- "to urinate" (cf. Greek omikhle, Old Church Slavonic migla, Sanskrit mih, megha "cloud, mist;" see micturition).

Sometimes distinguished from fog, either as being less opaque or as consisting of drops large enough to have a perceptible downward motion. [OED]

Also in Old English in sense of "dimness of the eyes, either by illness or tears," and in figurative sense of "things that obscure mental vision."

Word Origin and History for misting (1 of 2)

mist

Old English mistian "to become misty, to be or grow misty;" see mist (n.). Meaning "To cover with mist" is early 15c. Related: Misted; misting.

Science definitions for misting

mist

[ mĭst ]

A mass of fine droplets of water in the atmosphere near or in contact with the Earth. Mist reduces visibility to not less than 1 km (0.62 mi). Compare fog.

mist

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of mist

Examples from the Web for misting

British Dictionary definitions for misting (1 of 2)

misting

noun

British Dictionary definitions for misting (2 of 2)

mist

noun

verb

Word Origin for mist

Word Origin and History for misting (1 of 2)

mist

Word Origin and History for misting (1 of 2)

mist

Science definitions for misting

mist