moisturen.
/ˈmɔɪstʃə/, U.S. /ˈmɔɪstʃər/ 1. Liquid; vapour.† a. The liquid part or constituent of a body; (spec. in medieval philosophy) the moist property naturally inherent in all living plants and animals (also called radical moisture: see radical adj. 1a); = humidity n. 2b. Obsolete.† e. A noxious exhalation or humidity. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > secretory organs > secretion > [noun] > fluid secretion
moisturea1387
juice1398
suck1560
recrement1578
suffusion1608
fluid1705
succus1771
liquor1886
the world > life > the body > secretory organs > secretion > [noun] > fluid secretion > humours > specific humours
phlegmc1250
moisturea1387
melancholyc1390
cholera1393
black humoura1398
choleraa1398
melancholiaa1398
coldness1398
sanguineness1530
atrabile1594
combust choler1607
primary humour1621
black bile1634
cambium1634
yellow bile1634
kapha1937
pitta1937
dosha1959
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 65 (MED) Þis naturel philosofer..trowede þe moisture [L. humorem] is bygynnynge of alle þinges.
c1450 J. Lydgate Secrees (Sloane 2464) 1259 Yif purgacyons Be necessarye..Solve flewm brennyng or moysture To kepe a mene.
1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) vii. xxxi. 245 A Feuer Etyk..wastith the substancyall moisture of the body.
?1521 J. Fisher Serm. agayn Luther sig. Biiijv Ye trees whan they be wydred..and all the moystour shronke in to ye rote & no lust of grenenes nor of lyfe appereth outwardly.
1547 A. Borde Breuiary of Helthe i. f. Cixv This matter [sc. spittle] doth come of the humydite or moysters of blode.
1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 ii. i. 79 I cannot weepe, for all my breasts moisture [1623 moysture] Scarse serues to quench my furnace burning hart.
1659 H. More Let. 28 Mar. in Conway Lett. (1992) iii. 156 Every thing takes away a mans moisture, and this is a very dry starveling Spring.
1732 J. Arbuthnot Pract. Rules of Diet iv. 406 When the worms are large they consume the Moisture.
1772 J. W. Fletcher Appeal in Wks. (1795) I. 46 His intense application hath..almost dried up his radical moisture.
b. Water or other liquid diffused in small quantity through air as vapour, or through a solid substance, or condensed on a surface.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > moisture or humidity > [noun]
wetc888
wetec897
wetnessc950
wekea1300
wokeness1340
moistc1387
moistnessc1390
moisturec1390
dank?a1400
humidity1412
wakc1485
waknessc1520
aquosity1528
weakinessa1642
succity1646
fogginess1674
damp1706
c1390 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale 220 God shal destroye the fruyt of the erthe as fro hem ne water ne shal yeue hem no moysture, ne the eyr no refresshyng.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) vii. 23 Þai hafe na moisture bot þat þe forsaid ryuer ministers.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. 990 It [sc. ebony] wil..nat corrupte with water nor moysture.
?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 82v A Mostowre, fluor, humor.
1532 Romaunt Rose 1424 Through moisture of the welle wete Sprange up the sote grene gras.
1599 J. Davies Nosce Teipsum 57 The moisture which the thirstie earth Suckes from the sea.
1611 Bible (King James) Luke viii. 6 Some fell vpon a rocke, and assoone as it was sprung vp, it withered away, because it lacked moisture . View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 61 For Moisture then abounds, and Pearly Rains Descend in Silence to refresh the Plains. View more context for this quotation
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 123 The Earth having had no Rain after the Seed was sown, it had no Moisture to assist its Growth.
1783 E. Burke Speech Fox's E. India Bill in Wks. (1815) IV. 78 In that country the moisture..is given but at a certain season.
1803 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 9 231 Oxydated muriatic gas mixed with different other gasses..is easily changed into acid by the moisture of the flesh.
1843 G. Borrow Bible in Spain II. xii. 255 No moisture was wrung from his tanned countenance.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 64 Snow is not the only solid form in which atmospheric moisture is precipitated.
1885 Manch. Examiner 6 Apr. 5/2 The breeze is more balmy, with a touch of moisture in the air.
1938 R. K. Narayan Dark Room vi. 105 The glass clouded with the moisture of her breath.
1977 C. McCullough Thorn Birds (1978) iii. ix. 206 The last drop of moisture had long since evaporated..and the grass everywhere was long and dry as paper.
1987 Good Housek. (U.K. ed.) Nov. 3 (advt.) Dry skin not only lacks moisture, it lacks oil too and needs more than just moisturising. It needs nourishing.
c. gen. Any liquid; drink. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > [noun]
liquor?c1225
aquaa1398
moisture?1406
subtilesa1598
fluxure1603
aq.1639
fluor1654
fluid1661
liquid1708
?1406 T. Hoccleve La Mâle Règle 123 in E. P. Hammond Eng. Verse between Chaucer & Surrey (1927) 62/1 The outward signe of Bachus & his lure..Excitith folk to taaste of his moisture.
c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 356 (MED) He muste reule his body in temperaunce from glotonye of mete, and specially fro superfluyte of drynke or of moistures.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 585/1 I hysse,..as a hote thyng whan one putteth to any moysture.
?1592 Trag. Solyman & Perseda sig. B1 The earth is my Countrey, As..the marine moisture, To the red guild fish.
a1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary (1651) iii. v. 54 Drink, and excuse it after...This moisture shall dry up all injuries, Which I'l remember only to forget.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Pastorals iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 16 Now dam the Ditches, and the Floods restrain: Their moisture has already drench'd the Plain.
1713 J. Addison Cato iii. v When you..offer'd the full helmet up to Cato, Did he not dash th' untasted moisture from him?
1741 J. Martyn tr. Virgil Georgics (1811) i. 80 Their wives..boil away the moisture of the sweet must over the fire.
1827 J. Clare Shepherd's Cal. 78 The thirsty rat..oft at morn its dwelling leaves To drink the moisture from the eaves.
1852 Southern Literary Messenger Feb. 115/2 Their fibrous roots, thrust forth to drink The moisture of the waterfall.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 921/2 The kidneys..possess an attractive faculty, by virtue of which the moisture of the drink is separated and descends into the bladder.
d. Tears, regarded as moistening the eyes.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > [noun] > a tear > tears
watereOE
salt waterc1400
moisture?c1425
brine1594
rheum1597
dew1598
lachrymas1602
?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 253 (MED) Þe watry moisture [of the eye] was ȝette oute anone.
1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. L2v That infected moysture of his eye.
1616 G. Chapman tr. Musaeus Divine Poem sig. E5v Out did breake A ruddy moisture from her bashfull eyes.
1683 J. Chalkill Thealma & Clearchus 106 He..Lifts up his hand wherein the Herb he held, To wipe away the moisture that distill'd From his still smarting eye.
1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom II. xlv. 69 Here he made a full pause, as if the conflict between his integrity and his friendship would not allow him to proceed, and summoned the moisture into either eye.
1791 H. Downman Poems to Thespia iv. 13 Thou weep'st; where did my tongue profanely rove?.. Imbibe the lucid moisture of thine eyes!
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby vii. 64 Nicholas Nickleby's eyes were dimmed with a moisture that might have been taken for tears.
1897 ‘H. S. Merriman’ In Kedar's Tents vi With, as it were, a small solution of sympathy, indicated by a moisture of the eye, for the family..in their bereavement.
1981 B. Arnold Muted Swan iv. 95 A certain thin layer of moisture in his eyes betrayed the turbulence of his heart.
1990 Amer. Accent iv. 111 A line of moisture formed in her eye wells, then trickled down her pale cheeks.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fetor > [noun] > fetid smells
stenchc893
reekeOE
weffea1300
stink1382
fise14..
smeek?c1425
fist1440
fetorc1450
stew1487
moisture1542
putor1565
pouant1602
funk1606
graveolence1623
hogo1654
whiff1668
fogo1794
stythe1823
malodour1825
pen and ink1859
body scent1875
pong1900
niffa1903
hum1906
taint1927
honk1953
bowf1985
stank1996
1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth iv. sig. C.iii A fyre..to drye up the contagyous moysters of the walles.
2. In various figurative and extended uses. In early use frequently in a spiritual context: inspiration, refreshment.
ΚΠ
c1390 (c1350) Proprium Sanctorum in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1888) 81 317 (MED) Prestes, techers, and Confessours..dude Moyste wel þe hertes of trewe men eueridel; Þat Moysture is gode techinges þat gostly vs to blisse bringes.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 2618 (MED) Yt [sc. the soul] lakketh moysture Off grace, wherby..Al vertues fructefye.
a1500 Hymnal in R. S. Loomis Medieval Stud. in Memory G. S. Loomis (1927) 484 (MED) Crist most bene owr very sustinance..Owr thurst also moystyr of fayth defende Yenst grace þat we not trespace.
1563 Form Medit. in W. K. Clay Liturg. Services Q. Eliz. (1847) 505 Mollify..O Lord, our flinty hearts with the suppling moisture of thy Holy Spirit.
1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 64 Gaine was the radicall moisture of commerce.
1815 L. H. Sigourney Moral Pieces 238 'Tis thy secret hand That lifts the young mind..taking thence the noxious weeds, that seek To drink its moisture, withering every hope.
1871 J. Morley Carlyle in Crit. Misc. (1878) 173 A cloud of sedulous ephemera still suck a little spiritual moisture.
a1968 T. Merton tr. Meng Tzu Ox Mountain Parable ii, in Coll. Poems (1977) 971 The moisture of the dawn spirit Awakens in us the right loves, the right aversions.
1993 N. Sibum In Laban's Field 61 It's not so easy as that To show the stuff one is made of—The moisture squeezed out of you, Wounds hissing with humiliation and pus.
3. Moistness; the quality or state of being moist or damp. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > condition of being slightly wet > [noun]
moistnessc1390
moisturea1398
humidityc1450
waterishness1532
moist1562
dankishness1576
moistishness1576
dankness1601
dampishness1607
madidity1656
dampness1665
humidness1727
madidness1731
dampiness1830
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 49 Hoosnesse of þe voys comeþ of þe moisture of þe woosun of þe longen.
tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) i. l. 773 Delue hit [sc. the garden] deepe..That hit may in hit silf his moystour kepe.
a1500 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (BL Add.) (1975) 1476 Moistour and drynys be qualitees passyve.
a1525 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I. 162/3 The land is so hait & dry without moystour.
?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 26 The weather enclynde too sum moyster & wynde.
1598 A. M. tr. J. Guillemeau Frenche Chirurg. f. 42v/2 Through the humiditye or moyster therof, it may soacke through the Escara.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies v. xviii. 379 At such time as the fountaines, springs, and rivers, did increase by the moistures of the weather.
1611 Bible (King James) Psalms xxxii. 4 For day and night thy hand was heauy vpon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. View more context for this quotation
1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated ii. ii. 22 In the Earth are ingendred the foure first qualities of Heate, Cold, Drouth, and Moisture.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 94 Seldom venturing out, except when the moisture of a summer's evening invites them abroad.
1794 S. Williams Nat. & Civil Hist. Vermont 61 Another remarkable effect is an alteration in the moisture or wetness of the earth.
1898 To-day 5 Nov. 18/1 In a climate like ours, where the moisture of the atmosphere does more hair straightening than is conducive to feminine happiness.
1912 P. S. Allen Let. 11 Apr. (1939) 101 We even found fritillaries growing..flowers which we have hitherto always associated with the moisture of Thames' river-meadows.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
moisture seal n.
ΚΠ
1938 Amer. Home June 33/2 Moisture-seal fruit and vegetable hydrators, and sliding shelves with compartments are advantages of the new Frigidaires.
1986 Handyman Dec. 52/2 Caulk all cracks between the trim and siding or masonry... Use an elastomeric product..to ensure that you have an all-season moisture seal.
moisture supply n.
ΚΠ
1878 A. K. Johnston Africa ii. 26 There is naturally a marked difference in the moisture supply north and south of the Atlas.
1937 S. F. Armstrong Brit. Grasses (ed. 3) ii. 24 When the moisture supply fails these cells become flaccid.
1990 J. Stewart & H. Tiessen in C. Mungall & D. McLaren Planet under Stress (1991) 202 Central Brazil is entirely covered with savannah—the Cerrado, which is semi-arid, but has a relatively even and adequate moisture supply.
b.
moisture-bearing adj.
ΚΠ
1922 W. G. Kendrew Climates of Continents 290 The rainfall increases steadily towards the east and south. An irregularity is caused by the Appalachians,..within range of the moisture-bearing winds from both the Gulf and the Atlantic.
1991 Ecology 72 2072/1 The climatic regime is strongly dominated by the trade winds, which produce moisture-bearing clouds throughout the year.
moisture-charged adj.
ΚΠ
1895 F. A. Swettenham Malay Sketches 281 Plains and slopes of green on which the moisture-charged clouds unceasingly pour fatness.
1983 Ann. Rev. Anthropol. 12 221 The equatorial coast is swept twice annually by the ITCZ, once on its moisture-charged northern migration and again as it moves south.
moisture-holding adj.
ΚΠ
1922 Ecology 3 66 An experiment was carried out in the summer of 1919..to determine as far as possible..the influence of humus on tree growth, aside from its effect on the moisture-holding capacity of the soil.
1959 Times 7 Dec. (Agric. Suppl.) p. viii/5 The moisture-holding properties of old clay wastings.
1995 Canad. Gardening Oct. 44/2 Add lots of moisture-holding organic material to counter the natural run-off of the slope.
moisture-laden adj.
ΚΠ
1840 Southern Literary Messenger 6 174/2 The dreams that followed..presented to my struggling fancy now a lonely landscape..over-arched by the expanse of heavy and moisture-laden clouds.
1990 J. Nance Final Approach i. 1 Hanging wisps of rain showers on rapidly descending columns of moisture-laden air.
moisture-loving adj.
ΚΠ
1827–35 N. P. Willis May 19 Dews for the moisture-loving flowers.
1949 V. G. Childe Prehist. Communities Brit. Isles (ed. 3) viii. 135 The land molluscs of this period are..no longer the moisture-loving woodland species found in the neolithic camps.
1995 Church Times 10 Mar. 16/3 Many moisture-loving plants, such as primulas, hostas and ligularia, grow well here.
C2.
moisture barrier n. (a) chiefly Building, a barrier which prevents moisture from getting into something; (b) a natural barrier occurring in the skin against harmful elements which is maintained by adding moisture (using cosmetic moisturizers, etc.).
ΚΠ
1940 Building Materials & Structures Rep. (U.S. National Bureau of Standards Rep. BMS 50) 6 Accelerated aging produced large increases in water absorption of some of the boards and in water permeability of most of the boards, which indicates that they should not be depended upon to function as a moisture barrier.
1986 A. Limon in A. Limon et al. Home Owner Man. (ed. 2) i. iv. 69 (caption) How the insulation is positioned in a flat roof,..with the moisture barrier always on the warm side of the insulation.
1997 Hair Flair Nov.–Dec. 86 The moisturiser also rebuilds the skin's natural moisture barrier to nourish the driest, thirstiest skin.
moisture content n. the proportional amount of moisture in a substance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > moisture or humidity > [noun] > moisture content
moisture content1912
1912 Bull. U.S. Bureau Plant Industry No. 230. 9 It appears advisable to use a more specific term for the moisture content of the soil corresponding to the wilting point of a plant.
1936 Burlington Mag. Nov. 229/2 It was necessary to bring the panels to the agreed moisture-content before these repairs were put in hand.
1987 A. Brien Lenin 14 He wrote down..soil temperature, moisture content of atmosphere, average rainfall and then made his forecast.
moisture cream n. a cosmetic cream used to keep the skin moist; a type of face cream; cf. moisturizer n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > [noun] > preparations for the skin or complexion > unguents or moisturizers
oil of talc1582
slick1626
cold cream1709
cream1765
amandin1861
face cream1889
skin food1892
skin cream1894
orange-flower skin food1908
violet cream1912
day cream1915
vanishing cream1916
night cream1926
orange skin food1926
baby oil1930
hormone cream1938
moisture cream1957
moisturizer1957
mousse1971
1957 New Yorker 2 Nov. 61/2 (advt.) Tussy Moisture Cream and Lotion..won't let your skin dry out.
1961 Which? Mar. 58/1 Basically, like other types of face cream, moisture creams are emulsions of oils, fats or waxes, with water.
1999 West Briton (Electronic ed.) 4 Mar. The Body Shop..took the radical step of launching Vitamin E Moisture Cream.
moisture lotion n. a cosmetic lotion used to keep the skin moist.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > [noun] > preparations for the skin or complexion > lotions and liquids
waterOE
maiden milk?a1425
May-dew?a1425
milk of almondsa1425
maidens' milk?c1450
lac Virginis1477
surflingc1555
surfle1593
virgin's milk1600
lotion1606
washa1627
beauty water1675
mercury-water1676
beauty wash1706
Kalydor1824
skin tonic1863
flower-water1886
Limacol1936
moisture lotion1957
toning lotion1960
toner1970
1957 New Yorker 2 Nov. 61/2 (advt.) Tussy Moisture Cream and Lotion..won't let your skin dry out.
1974 Country Life 28 Nov. 1694/3 Their own products include moisture lotion..eye shadow and lipsticks.
1993 M&S Mag. Autumn 11/1 The range includes..moisture lotion..and facial scrub.
moisture meter n. an instrument for indicating the moisture content of a substance (commonly by measuring its electrical resistivity).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > moisture or humidity > [noun] > instrument for measuring humidity
hygrometer1670
weather-cord1747
psychrometer1838
moisture meter1935
1935 Jrnl. Agric. Sci. 25 326 It was thought that a direct-reading moisture meter would have many uses in biological research work.
1952 Sci. Amer. Sept. 61 (caption) Moisture meter..senses moisture in textile yarn by electrical conductivity and controls the speed of the drying drum by feedback.
1995 Farmers Weekly 21 July 108 (advt.) Maler mounted and hand held moisture meters for monitoring moisture content of baled hay, haylage and straw.
moisture movement n. chiefly Building (a) the movement of moisture through a material, esp. timber (rare); (b) the expansion of a material due to changes in moisture content.
ΚΠ
1926 J. F. Martley (title) Moisture movement through wood: the steady state.
1930 Ecology 11 241 The natural direction of soil moisture movement is downward.
1990 Masonry Internat. 3 111 (title) Geometry effect on creep and moisture movement of brickwork.
moisture stress n. Botany (a) (a quantitative measure of) the overall pressure at which moisture is held in soil; the force that must be exerted by plant tissue to extract water from the soil (now rare); (b) physiological stress experienced by a plant as a result of a lack of available moisture or a low water potential in the soil (also called water stress).
ΚΠ
1945 C. H. Wadleigh & A. D. Ayers in Plant Physiol. 20 114 The term ‘moisture tension’ expressed in atmospheres will be used to designate the free energy of the soil moisture involved in the pressure potential, osmotic pressure to designate that of the osmotic potential, and ‘total moisture stress’ in atmospheres (sum of osmotic pressure + moisture tension) will be used to designate the total free energy of the soil moisture as covered by the term moisture potential.
1949 P. J. Kramer Plant & Soil Water Relationships ix. 236 Quite similar reductions in growth occur in plants subjected to similar moisture stress, whether this stress is produced by growing the plants in dry soil or by growing them in salt solutions.
1974 E. J. Winter Water, Soil & Plant ix. 113 High soil moisture tension or stress (low soil water potential) caused by low soil moisture content hinders the passage of water into the plant.
1991 Forestry 64 346 Periods of drought during which the host trees have been weakened by moisture stress making them less able to withstand beetle attacks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
† moisturev.
Obsolete.
1. transitive. To moisten (a thing); to water, make wet or damp.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > make wet [verb (transitive)]
weta950
bathec1000
drenchc1230
blotenc1325
danka1350
anointa1375
moista1382
beshed1382
moil?a1425
madefy?1440
arrouse1480
moisturea1500
humect1531
intinct1547
moisten1559
rinse1579
inebriate1610
irrigate1615
slocken1627
irriguate1632
humectate1640
madidate1656
slake1810
a1500 (?1471) G. Ripley Epist. Edward IV (Ashm.) f. 104 (MED) We haue an heuyn incoruptible of the quintessence, Ornate with signes, elementes, planettes, and sterres bright, Which moistrith our erthe by sotill influence.
1545 T. Raynald in tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde i. sig. G.v Moystryng [1552 moystrynge] all that parte, as it were with a dewe.
?1555 M. Coverdale tr. Hope of Faythful xxxi. 212 They water & moysture [1574 moisture] all thynges, and make them frutefull.
1584 J. Lyly Sapho & Phao iii. iii. 18 Will you haue any of this Syrope, to moysture your mouth?
1610 G. Markham Maister-peece i. xxxi. 60 It proceedeth only from flegme, cold and grosse, which moysturing the braine too much, causeth heauinesse.
1652 Ripley's Compend of Alchemy in E. Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum 141 Therwith dyd Hermes moysture hys Tre.
2. intransitive. to moisture away: to decay from damp. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > deteriorate in condition [verb (intransitive)] > by damp
to take wet1513
to moisture away1519
reta1642
to fog off1802
sodden1821
1519 in J. Raine Fabric Rolls York Minster (1859) 268 Item the amendynge of the dalmatykes for ye Advent & Septuagesym myghte be done wt a litile cost, whiche nowe mosters away & not occupied. Item the lettron wherupon the gospell is red is moistered away & faullyn downe.
3. intransitive. To shed moisture. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > liquid which has been emitted > emit liquid [verb (intransitive)]
runa1170
moisture1610
1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 12 Heau'n stole it selfe from earth by clouds that moisterd vnder.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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n.a1387
v.a1500