Damp

From Fresh Dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Pronunciation 1.2 Etymology 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Translations 1.3.2 Derived terms 1.4 Adjective 1.4.1 Translations 1.5 Transitive verb 1.5.1 Translations 2 Dutch 2.1 Noun

English

Pronunciation

• dămp, /dæmp/, /d{mp/

  Rhymes: -æmp

Etymology

Akin to Low German, Dutch, and Danish damp vapor, steam, fog, German dampf, Icelandic dampi, Swedish damb dust, and to Modern New German dimpfen to smoke, imperative dampf. Also Old English dampen to choke, suffocate.

Noun

damp (uncountable)

1. Moisture; humidity; fog; fogginess; vapor.

   Quotations

   • Night . . . with black air Accompanied, with damps and dreadful gloom. - Milton

2. Dejection; depression; cloud of the mind.

   Quotations

   • Even now, while thus I stand blest in thy presence, A secret damp of grief comes o'er my soul. - Addison
   • It must have thrown a damp over your autumn excursion. - J. D. Forbes

3. (Mining): A gaseous product, formed in coal mines, old wells, pits, etc.

Translations

• Finnish: kosteus (1), kaivoskaasu (3)

Derived terms

• Choke damp, a damp consisting principally of carboni acid gas; -- so called from its extinguishing flame and animal life. See Carbonic acid, under Carbonic.
• Damp sheet, a curtain in a mine gallery to direct air currents and prevent accumulation of gas.
• Fire damp, a damp consisting chiefly of light carbureted hydrogen; -- so called from its tendency to explode when mixed with atmospheric air and brought into contact with flame.

Adjective

damp (damper, dampest)

1. Being in a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist; humid.

   Quotations

   • O'erspread with a damp sweat and holy fear - Dryden

2. (Rare): Dejected; depressed; sunk

   Quotations

   • All these and more came flocking, but with looks Downcast and damp - Milton

Translations

• Bulgarian: влажен, мъглив
• Finnish: kostea
• French: humide, moite, mouillé

Transitive verb

to damp (third-person singular simple present damps, present participle damping, simple past damped, past participle damped)

1. To render damp; to moisten; to make humid, or moderately wet; to dampen; as, to damp cloth.
2. To put out, as fire; to depress or deject; to deaden; to cloud; to check or restrain, as action or vigor; to make dull; to weaken; to discourage.
3. To suppress vibrations (mechanical) or oscillations (electrical) by converting energy to heat (or some other form of energy).

   Quotations

   • To damp your tender hopes - Akenside
   • Usury dulls and damps all industries, improvements, and new inventions, wherein money would be stirring if it were not for this slug - Bacon
   • How many a day has been damped and darkened by an angry word! - Sir J. Lubbock
   • The failure of his enterprise damped the spirit of the soldiers. - Macaulay

Translations

• Finnish: kostuttaa (1), sammuttaa (2), tukahduttaa (2), vaimentaa (3)
• German: dampf
• Icelandic: dampi
• Modern New German: dimpfen
• Old English: dampen
• Swedish: damb

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Dutch

Noun

damp m.

1. vapour, vaporbg:damp

fr:damp io:damp it:damp nl:damp no:damp zh:damp