mist
/mɪst
/noun [mass noun]
1A cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth’s surface that limits visibility (to a lesser extent than fog; strictly, with visibility remaining above 1 km): the peaks were shrouded in mist [in singular]: a mist rose out of the river...
- The Tuscany hills were shrouded in mist on the morning of departure.
- There was mist, cloud cover, and heavy rain, all of which impeded movement.
- Early in the morning the mountains are usually sheathed in clouds of mist.
Synonyms
haze, fog, smog, murk, cloud, cloudiness, mistiness, Scotch mist, haar, vapour, drizzle, spray;
steam, condensation, film;
Northern English (sea) fret
literary brume, fume
1.1 [in singular] A condensed vapour settling in fine droplets on a surface: a breeze cooled the mist of perspiration that had dampened her temples...
- She gave her wings an occasional flutter to keep the mist from settling on them.
- The range office staff were busy rubbing away at the heavy mist that had settled on the jeep's windscreen.
- A tiny cloud of mist formed on the window where her hot breath landed.
1.2 [in singular] A haze or film over the eyes, especially caused by tears, and resulting in blurred vision: Ruth saw most of the scene through a mist of tears...
- The fact that he was still with her after the nightmare, being so caring and tender, brought a slight mist of tears to her eyes.
- I looked through the mist of tears in my eyes to see Francesca, bent over me.
- Cherry smiled at her through a mist of tears and headed out the door quietly.
1.3 [count noun] Used in reference to something that blurs one’s perceptions or memory: Sardinia’s origins are lost in the mists of time...
- The origin of this controversy sometimes seems lost in the mists of time, but if memory serves, here's the timeline.
- Ever since rival villages kicked lumps out of each other as they chased inflated pigs' bladders back in the mists of time, football has been claimed as the people's game, a democracy of dribblers where the best could rise to the top.
- Way back in the mists of time, the fact that we could interact with so much of the world (apart from the deep sea and the highest peaks we could get pretty much everywhere) meant that we learnt more about how to use it to our advantage.
verb
1Cover or become covered with mist: [with object]: the windows of the car were misted up with condensation [no object]: the glass was beginning to mist up...
- Christine said: ‘It was pouring down and my car had misted up.’
- So far that, when I parked in the town square by the fish 'n' chip shop, my spectacles misted up as I got out of my lovely, cold car into a very steamy evening.
- She fell 20 feet after her goggles misted up - and she was only saved by soft and deep snow.
Synonyms
steam up, become misty, fog over/up, become covered with condensation, haze over, film over, cloud over, become cloudy, become blurred
1.1 [no object] (Of a person’s eyes) become covered with a film of tears causing blurred vision: her eyes misted over with relief and joy...
- His eyes nearly misted over at the vision of his car-bonnet fantasy being flushed down the toilet.
- It was torn at the top and Ben's eyes misted over as he realized what it was.
- My brother's eyes misted over as he looked at the page.
1.2 [with object] Spray (something, especially a plant) with a fine cloud of water droplets: don’t mist furry-leaved plants such as African violets...
- During the first year, mist the plants with water once a week, but after that nature will take over.
- Whether you give the tree as a gift or use it to decorate your own home, be sure to mist the flowers and leaves with water every day.
- I would labor to rescue them, misting the plant with a green plastic spray bottle every time I passed, a dozen times a day.
Origin
Old English, of Germanic origin; from an Indo-European root shared by Greek omikhlē 'mist, fog'.