damp
damp Lexical Profile
damp Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Slightly wet, often in a way that is unpleasant, chilly, or unwanted.
"She wiped the table with a damp cloth before setting down the plates."
• noun
Moisture diffused through the air or condensed on a surface; a state of slight, often chilly wetness.
"The old stone cottage was plagued by rising damp during the winter months."
A check or discouragement to spirits, enthusiasm, or activity.
"The sudden downpour cast a damp over the outdoor festival."
Any foul, suffocating, or explosive gas or vapor accumulating in coal mines.
"Early miners carried safety lamps to detect the presence of dangerous damp in the shafts."
• verb
To progressively reduce the amplitude or intensity of vibrations, oscillations, or sound waves.
"Heavy acoustic curtains were installed to damp the echo in the concert hall."
To make something slightly wet; to moisten.
"She damped the linen shirt lightly before ironing out the creases."
To check, restrain, or lessen the intensity of a fire, emotion, or activity (often used with 'down').
"They heaped ashes over the embers to damp the campfire for the night."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'damp' and 'moist' both mean slightly wet, 'damp' often carries an unpleasant connotation of chilliness, mildew, or unwanted moisture (e.g., a damp basement), whereas 'moist' is typically positive or desirable (e.g., a moist cake). As a verb, 'damp' is closely related to 'dampen', though 'damp' is preferred in physics and engineering for reducing the amplitude of oscillations or vibrations.
• Rhymes for damp
Word Origin & Etymology
Entered Middle English in the 14th century from Middle Low German 'damp' ('vapor, steam, smoke'), originally referring tonoxious gases in mines before shifting to mean moisture and slight wetness.