Etymology

douse

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Today it means: To plunge suddenly into water; to duck; to immerse. Full definition →

Middle English duschen
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douse · verb, noun1

Probably of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish dunsa (“to plumb down, fall clumsily”), Danish dunse (“to thump”). Compare Old English dwǣsċan (“to extinguish”) and douse below.

douse · verb, noun2

  1. Middle English · inherited fromduschen
  2. English todaydouse

From Middle English duschen, dusshen (“to rush, fall”), related to Norwegian dusa (“to break, cast down from”), Old Dutch doesen (“to beat, strike”), dialectal German tusen, dusen (“to strike, run against, collide”), Saterland Frisian dössen (“to strike”). Compare doss, dust.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.