wet English · revision 4555

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=a. 830|origins=gem-pro *wētaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /wet/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|wet]], partly the past participle of the verb weten, [[inh|ang|wǣtan|t=to wet, moisten]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(Hoad 1986) and partly [[inh|ang|wǣt|t=moist, liquid]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) from [[gem-pro|*wētaz]],^(Barnhart 1988) also the source of Old Frisian wēt.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) It was reinforced by the cognate Old Norse vátr.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) It goes back to [[ine-pro|*wed-|t=water; wet]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and is related to [[water]].^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998) Old English wǣt itself became Middle English weet, still in dialect, and the short vowel spread from the past participle and the verb.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The verb is recorded before 830, earlier than the adjective (before 899, in Alfred's Boethius), though both are usually derived from the adjective.^(Barnhart 1988) The noun, moisture or liquid, is about 888.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Rainy weather is already Old English (before 899).^(Barnhart 1988) Of paint or ink, not yet dry, is from the 1510s, and of drinking or drunkenness by the 1590s.^(Etymonline) In the United States, a wet state or town allowed the sale of alcohol, as opposed to dry, from 1870,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and a wet was an opponent of Prohibition by 1931.^(Etymonline) The British slang sense of a weak, ineffectual person is from 1896,^(Etymonline) and a liberal or moderate Conservative politician is called a wet from 1931 in the OED.^(OED 1989) ''All wet'', completely wrong, is American English from 1923.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) The ''wetsuit'' is from 1955.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * a. 830 – verb, to wet.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * a. 899 – adjective; rainy.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1510s – not yet dry.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1590s – drunken.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1870 – allowing the sale of alcohol.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1896 – ineffectual.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1923 – ''all wet''.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1955 – ''wetsuit''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Covered with or soaked in water or another [[liquid]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Not yet dry or set: ''wet paint''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Rainy: ''wet weather''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(chiefly British, informal)'' Weak and [[feeble]].^(Collins 2023)

+ # Allowing the sale of [[alcohol]]ic drinks.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # Moisture or liquid.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Rainy weather.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(British)'' A Conservative politician regarded as moderate.^(Collins 2023)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To make wet.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To [[urinate]] in or on: ''wet the bed''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[wetly]]

+ * [[wetness]]

+ * [[wetter]]

+ * [[wettish]]

+ * [[overwet]]

+ * [[rewet]]

+ * [[unwet]]

+ * [[wettability]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[water]]

+ * [[otter]]

+ * [[hydrogen]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}