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Drizzle - 7 dictionary results

driz⋅zle

  [driz-uhl] verb, -zled, -zling, noun
Use Drizzle in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to rain gently and steadily in fine drops; sprinkle: It drizzled throughout the night.
2. to fall in fine drops.
–verb (used with object)
3. to rain or let fall in fine drops; sprinkle: He drizzled honey over the fruit.
4. to pour in a fine stream: Drizzle melted butter over the breadcrumb topping.
–noun
5. a very light rain.
6. Meteorology. precipitation consisting of numerous, minute droplets of water less than 1/50 in. (0.5 mm) in diameter.
Origin:
1535–45; perh. back formation from dryseling, dissimilated var. of ME drysning fall (of dew); akin to OE drēosan to fall; c. OS driosan, Goth driusan

Related forms:
drizzly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Drizzle
driz·zle   (drĭz'əl)   
v.   driz·zled, driz·zling, driz·zles

v.   intr.
To rain gently in fine, mistlike drops.
v.   tr.
  1. To let fall in fine drops or particles: drizzled melted butter over the asparagus.
  2. To moisten with fine drops: drizzled the asparagus with melted butter.
n.  A fine, gentle, misty rain.

[Perhaps from Middle English drisning, fall of dew, from Old English -drysnian, in gedrysnian, to pass away, vanish; see dhreu- in Indo-European roots.]
driz'zly adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Drizzle

Driz"zle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Drizzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Drizzling.] [Prop. freq. of AS. dre['o]san to fall. See Dreary.] To rain slightly in very small drops; to fall, as water from the clouds, slowly and in fine particles; as, it drizzles; drizzling drops or rain. "Drizzling tears." --Spenser.

Drizzle

Driz"zle\, v. t. To shed slowly in minute drops or particles. "The air doth drizzle dew." --Shak.

Drizzle

Driz"zle\, n. Fine rain or mist. --Halliwell.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Drizzle
Spanish: lloviznar,
German: nieseln,
Japanese: 霧雨が降る
More Translations »

drizzle 
1543, alteration of drysning "a falling of dew" (14c.), from O.E. -drysnian, related to dreosan "to fall."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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drizzle

very small, numerous water drops that may appear to float while being carried by air currents; drizzle drops generally have diameters between about 0.2 and 0.5 millimetre (0.008 and 0.02 inch). Smaller ones are usually cloud or fog droplets, while larger drops are called raindrops. Drizzle often is accompanied by fog but differs from it because drizzle drops fall to the ground. Drizzle commonly falls from stratus clouds. See also rain.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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