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wet

(wĕt)

adj. wet·ter, wet·test

1. Covered or soaked with a liquid, such as water: a wet towel.

2. Not yet dry or firm: wet paint.

a. Stored in or prepared with water or other liquids.

b. Characterized by the use or presence of water or liquid reagents: wet chemistry.

c. Involving the performance of experiments rather than the design or analysis of them: a wet lab.

a. Rainy, humid, or foggy: wet weather.

b. Characterized by frequent or heavy precipitation: a wet climate.

5. Informal Allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages: a wet county.

1. Something that wets; moisture.

2. Rainy or snowy weather: go out into the wet.

3. Informal One who supports the legality of the production and sale of alcoholic beverages.

v. wet or wet·ted, wet·ting, wets

v.tr.

1. To make wet; dampen: wet a sponge.

2. To make (a bed or one's clothes) wet by urinating.

v.intr.

1. To become wet.

2. To urinate.

Idioms:

all wet Slang

Entirely mistaken.

wet behind the ears

Inexperienced; green.

wet (one's) whistle Informal

To take a drink.

[Middle English, from Old English wǣt; see wed-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

wetness n.

wetta·ble adj.

wetter n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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