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Added 9 October 2026

damp

/ˈdæmp/ noun

In Latin: ūvidus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about damp at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A slight wetness.

verb

Deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping.
Restrain or discourage.
the sudden bad news damped the joyous atmosphere
Make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible.
muffle the message

adjective

Slightly wet.
clothes damp with perspiration

Origin

From Middle English dampen (“to stifle; suffocate”), from Old English damp, from Proto-Germanic *dampaz. Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and German Dampf (“vapor, steam, fog”), Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm (“dust”), and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen (“to smoke”). Also Middle English dampen (“to extinguish, choke, suffocate”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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