Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A mass of fine droplets of water in the atmosphere near or in contact with the earth.
  • noun Water vapor condensed on and clouding the appearance of a surface.
  • noun Fine drops of a liquid, such as water, perfume, or medication, sprayed into the air.
  • noun A suspension of fine drops of a liquid in a gas.
  • noun Something that dims or conceals.
  • noun A haze before the eyes that blurs the vision.
  • noun Something that produces or gives the impression of dimness or obscurity.
  • noun A drink consisting of a liquor served over cracked ice.
  • intransitive verb To be or become obscured or blurred by or as if by mist.
  • intransitive verb To rain in a fine shower.
  • intransitive verb To conceal or veil with or as if with mist.
  • intransitive verb To moisturize (plants or dry air, for example) with a fine spray of water.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A cloud consisting of an aggregation of a vast number of minute globules of water, and resting upon the ground; fog.
  • noun Precipitation consisting of extremely fine droplets of water, much smaller and more closely aggregated than in rain: distinguished from fog in that the droplets are larger and have a perceptible downward motion. In a ship's logbook, abbreviated masculine
  • noun Something which dims or darkens and obscures or intercepts physical or intellectual vision like a fog; obscurity.
  • An obsolete or occasional form of missed, preterit and past participle of miss.
  • To cover or obscure with or as with mist; cloud; obscure.
  • To be misty or drizzling: as, it mists.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Visible watery vapor suspended in the atmosphere, at or near the surface of the earth; fog.
  • noun Coarse, watery vapor, floating or falling in visible particles, approaching the form of rain.
  • noun Hence, anything which dims or darkens, and obscures or intercepts vision.
  • noun (Bot.) a composite plant (Eupatorium cœlestinum), having heart-shaped leaves, and corymbs of lavender-blue flowers. It is found in the Western and Southern United States.
  • intransitive verb To rain in very fine drops.
  • transitive verb To cloud; to cover with mist; to dim.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable Water or other liquid finely suspended in air.
  • noun countable A layer of fine droplets or particles.
  • verb To form mist.
  • verb To spray fine droplets on, particularly of water.
  • verb To cover with a mist.
  • verb of the eyes To be covered by tears.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb become covered with mist
  • verb spray finely or cover with mist
  • noun a thin fog with condensation near the ground
  • verb make less visible or unclear

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English mist ("mist"), from Proto-Germanic *mikhstaz (compare Middle Low German mist, Icelandic mistur, Gothic maehstus), ultimately from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *miǵʰ-, *meiǵʰ-.

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Examples

  • But when it came to Genesis 2, 6th verse, _ "But there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground," _ Walter asked, "What is meant by that _mist_, father?"

    The Pastor's Son William W. Walter

  • During the course of two days, October 12th and 13th, Bonilla counted almost 450 objects, surrounded in what he described as a mist, passing across the face of the sun.

    Forbes.com: News John Farrell 2011

  • Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick," a curling iron, into Germany only to find out that "mist" is slang for manure.

    13 Unfortunate Translations That Harmed Brand Reputations 2007

  • Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick," a curling iron, into Germany only to find out that "mist" is slang for manure.

    Archive 2007-09-01 2007

  • Not only had night fallen, but the mist from the marsh had grown heavy, so that the village looked to him like swarm of monstrous fireflies.

    Conan Fan Fiction! Cromsblood 2009

  • A Sussex country churchyard in October: the leaves on the trees are turning golden, in the distant Wealden valley autumnal mist is beginning to rise, crows are cawing overhead, sheep are bleating in a nearby field and I am standing in front of the dilapidated grave of one of England's greatest cricketers.

    Maurice Tate was a true Ashes hero but now weeds claim his grave Stephen Bates 2010

  • That article also references several more articles about nestling predation, predation on birds caught in mist nets, and eating of fish.

    Do deers eat small birds and small animal ? 2009

  • Is it going to be just as difficult, or more so, once the H1N1 vaccine or mist is ready?

    Obama: Family 'will stand in line like everybody else' for vaccine 2009

  • That article also references several more articles about nestling predation, predation on birds caught in mist nets, and eating of fish.

    Do deers eat small birds and small animal ? 2009

  • Not only had night fallen, but the mist from the marsh had grown heavy, so that the village looked to him like swarm of monstrous fireflies.

    Archive 2009-12-01 Reis O'Brien 2009

Comments

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  • German for 'dung'

    January 9, 2008

  • A lot of love for this word, I see. Compare moist!

    December 13, 2008

  • Rx abbv/ mist. for mistura = mix.

    February 18, 2009