Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “douse” come from?

Douse comes from Middle English dusshen, from Old English dwǣsċan, meaning to extinguish or quench.

douse (English): To plunge suddenly into water; to duck; to...

Definitions

  1. To plunge suddenly into water; to duck; to...

Ancestry of “douse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishduschen—
2Old Englishdwǣsċanto extinguish; to put out, extinguish, destroy

Words derived from “douse”

  • dowsing
  • dowser
  • dowse
  • douser
  • ダウジング
Every word from Old English dwǣsċan →