douse definition | Dictionary.com

douse

[dous]

verb, doused, dous⋅ing, noun

–verb (used with object)

1.	to plunge into water or the like; drench: She doused the clothes in soapy water.

2.	to splash or throw water or other liquid on: The children doused each other with the hose.

3.	to extinguish: She quickly doused the candle's flame with her fingertips.

4.	Informal. to remove; doff.

Nautical.

a.	to lower or take in (a sail, mast, or the like) suddenly.

b.	to slacken (a line) suddenly.

c.	to stow quickly.

–verb (used without object)

6.	to plunge or be plunged into a liquid.

–noun

7.	British Dialect. a stroke or blow.

Also, dowse.

Origin:
1590–1600; orig. uncert.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To douse

douse¹ also dowse (dous)

v. doused also dowsed, dous·ing also dows·ing, dous·es also dows·es

v. tr.

To plunge into liquid; immerse. See Synonyms at dip.
To wet thoroughly; drench.
To put out (a light or fire); extinguish.

v. intr.
To become thoroughly wet.
n. A thorough drenching.

[From obsolete douse, to strike.]
dous'er n.

douse² (douz)

v. Variant of dowse¹.

dowse¹ also douse (douz)

intr.v. dowsed also doused, dows·ing also dous·ing, dows·es also dous·es
To use a divining rod to search for underground water or minerals.

[Origin unknown.]

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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Douse

Douse\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Doused; p. pr. & vb. n. Dousing.] [Cf. Dowse, and OD. donsen to strike with the fist on the back, Sw. dunsa to fall down violently and noisily; perh. akin to E. din.]

1. To plunge suddenly into water; to duck; to immerse; to dowse. --Bp. Stillingfleet.

2. (Naut.) To strike or lower in haste; to slacken suddenly; as, douse the topsail.

Douse

Douse\, v. i. To fall suddenly into water. --Hudibras.

Douse

Douse\, v. t. [AS. dw[ae]scan. (Skeat.)] To put out; to extinguish. [Slang] " To douse the glim." --Sir W. Scott.

douse

1559, "to strike, punch," which is probably from M.Du. dossen "beat forcefully." Meaning "to strike a sail in haste" is recorded from 1627; that of "to extinguish (a light)" is from 1785; perhaps influenced by dout (1526), an obsolete contraction of do out (cf. doff, don). OED regards the meaning "to throw water over" (1606) as a separate word, of unknown origin, though admitting there may be a connection of some sort.

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