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mist

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mist

[mist]
–noun
1. a cloudlike aggregation of minute globules of water suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface, reducing visibility to a lesser degree than fog.
2. a cloud of particles resembling this: She sprayed a mist of perfume onto her handkerchief.
3. something that dims, obscures, or blurs: the mist of ignorance.
4. a haze before the eyes that dims the vision: a mist of tears.
5. a suspension of a liquid in a gas.
6. a drink of liquor served over cracked ice.
7. a fine spray produced by a vaporizer to add moisture to the air for breathing.
–verb (used without object)
8. to become misty.
9. to rain in very fine drops; drizzle (usually used impersonally with it as subject): It was misting when they went out for lunch.
–verb (used with object)
10. to make misty.
11. to spray (plants) with a finely diffused jet of water, as a means of replacing lost moisture.

Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME, OE; c. D, LG, Sw mist; akin to Gk omíchlē fog, Russ mgla mist, Skt megha cloud; (v.) ME misten, OE mistian, deriv. of the n.


mistless, adjective


3, 4. See cloud.

mist.

(in prescriptions) a mixture.

Origin:
< L mistūra
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To mist
mist   (mĭst)   
n.  
  1. A mass of fine droplets of water in the atmosphere near or in contact with the earth.

  2. Water vapor condensed on and clouding the appearance of a surface.

  3. Fine drops of a liquid, such as water, perfume, or medication, sprayed into the air.

  4. A suspension of fine drops of a liquid in a gas.

  5. Something that dims or conceals.

  6. A haze before the eyes that blurs the vision.

  7. Something that produces or gives the impression of dimness or obscurity: the mists of the past.

  8. A drink consisting of a liquor served over cracked ice.

v.   mist·ed, mist·ing, mists

v.   intr.
  1. To be or become obscured or blurred by or as if by mist.

  2. To rain in a fine shower.

v.   tr.
  1. To conceal or veil with or as if with mist.

  2. To moisturize (plants or dry air, for example) with a fine spray of water.


[Middle English, from Old English; see meigh- in Indo-European roots.]
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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Word Origin & History

mist 
O.E. mist "dimness, mist" (earliest in compounds, such as misthleoðu "misty cliffs," wælmist "mist of death"), from P.Gmc. *mikhstaz (cf. M.L.G. mist, Icelandic mistur), from PIE *migh-/*meigh- (cf. Gk. omikhle, O.C.S. migla, Skt. mih, megha "cloud, mist").
"Sometimes distinguished from fog, either as being less opaque or as consisting of drops large enough to have a perceptible downward motion." [O.E.D.]
Also in O.E. in sense of "dimness of the eyes, either by illness or tears," and in fig. sense of "things that obscure mental vision." The verb is O.E. mistian. Misty is O.E. mistig.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
mist   (mĭst)  Pronunciation Key 
A mass of fine droplets of water in the atmosphere near or in contact with the Earth. Mist reduces visibility to not less than 1 km (0.62 mi). Compare fog.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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