damp /damp/ noun- Vapour, mist
- Moisture
- Moist air
- (in mines, etc) any gas other than air
- Lowness of spirits (archaic)
- A gloom
- Discouragement
transitive verb- To wet slightly
- To discourage
- To check
- To make dull
- To slow down the rate of burning (of a fire) (often with down; see also damp down below)
- To diminish the amplitude of (physics)
adjective- Moist
- Foggy
- Unenthusiastic (informal)
ORIGIN: ME dampen; related to Du damp, and Ger Dampf vapour dampˈen transitive verb and intransitive verb - To make or become damp or moist
- To stifle (figurative)
dampˈer noun - Someone who or something that damps
- A depressive influence
- A door or shutter for shutting off or regulating a draught
- A device for diminishing the amplitude of vibrations (physics)
- A mute (music)
- (in a piano or harpsichord, etc) the pad that silences a note after it has been played
- A kind of unleavened bread (orig Aust)
- A cake of this
dampˈing noun - Reduction in vibration through the dissipation of energy (physics)
- Diminution in sharpness of resonance through the introduction of resistance (electronics)
dampˈish adjective dampˈishness noun dampˈly adverb dampˈness noun dampˈy adjective (archaic and poetic) Damp dampˈ-course noun A layer of moisture-proof material in a masonry wall dampˈing-offˈ noun A disease of seedlings caused by Pythium or other fungus in an excess of moisture dampˈ-proof adjective Impervious to moisture transitive verb To make (eg a wall) damp-proof damp-proof course noun A damp-course damp squib noun Something that fails to go off with the expected bang (lit and figurative) damp down To close down a furnace, etc (dampˈing-downˈ noun) put a damper on To inhibit or subdue squib /skwib/ noun- A firework, consisting of a paper tube filled with explosive powder, which burns noisily and explodes
- A short piece of satire, a lampoon
- A short, esp humorous, piece of journalism
- A paltry fellow (archaic)
transitive verb- To aim squibs at
- To lampoon
intransitive verb- To write lampoons
- To use squibs
- To sound or skip about like a squib
ORIGIN: Perh imit squibbˈing noun and adjective damp squib see under damp |