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Webster 1913 Edition


Moist

Moist

,
Adj.
[OE.
moiste
, OF.
moiste
, F.
moite
, fr. L.
muccidus
, for
mucidus
, moldy, musty. Cf.
Mucus
,
Mucid
.]
1.
Moderately wet; damp; humid; not dry;
as, a
moist
atmosphere or air
.
Moist eyes.”
Shak.
2.
Fresh, or new.
[Obs.]
“Shoes full moist and new.” “A draught of moist and corny ale.”
Chaucer.

Moist

,
Verb.
T.
To moisten.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition


Moist

MOIST

,
Adj.
[L. madeo.]
1.
Moderately wet; damp; as a moist atmosphere or air.
Exhalation dusk and moist.
2.
Containing water or other liquid in a perceptible degree.

Definition 2024


moist

moist

English

Adjective

moist (comparative moister or more moist, superlative moistest or most moist)

  1. Slightly wet; characterised by the presence of moisture, not dry; damp. [from 14th c.]
    • 1937, "Modernist Miracle", Time, 1 Nov 1937:
      Joseph Smith, a diffident, conscientious young man with moist hands and an awkward, absent-minded manner, was head gardener at Wotton Vanborough.
    • 2011, Dominic Streatfeild, The Guardian, 7 Jan 2011:
      "The other car didn't explode," continues Shujaa. "The explosives were a bit moist. They had been stored in a place that was too humid."
  2. Of eyes: tearful, wet with tears. [from 14th c.]
    • 1974, "Mitchell and Stans: Not Guilty", Time, 6 Dec 1974:
      Eyes moist, he hugged one of his attorneys and later said: "I feel like I've been reborn."
  3. Of weather, climate etc.: rainy, damp. [from 14th c.]
    • 2008, Graham Harvey, The Guardian, 8 Sep 2008:
      With its mild, moist climate, Britain is uniquely placed to grow good grass.
  4. (sciences, now historical) Pertaining to one of the four essential qualities formerly believed to be present in all things, characterised by wetness. [from 14th c.]
  5. (obsolete) Watery, liquid, fluid. [14th-17th c.]
    • 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, Hydriotaphia:
      Some being of the opinion of Thales, that water was the originall of all things, thought it most equall to submit unto the principle of putrefaction, and conclude in a moist relentment.
  6. (medicine) Characterised by the presence of pus, mucus etc. [from 14th c.]
  7. (colloquial) Sexually lubricated (of the ****); sexually aroused, turned on (of a woman). [from 20th c.]
    • 2008, Marcia King-Gamble, Meet Phoenix, p. 168:
      He slid a finger in me, checking to make sure I was moist and ready for him.

Usage notes

Moist is mostly used for agreeable conditions while damp is mainly used for disagreeable conditions:

  • moist cake
  • damp clothes

Synonyms

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

References

  1. Moist media