drenching

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English drenchyng, drenchynge, drenchende, from Old English drenċende, from Proto-Germanic *drankijandz, present participle of *drankijaną (“to drench”), equivalent to drench +‎ -ing.

Verb

drenching

1. present participle and gerund of drench

Adjective

drenching (comparative more drenching, superlative most drenching)

1. That causes one to become extremely wet.

   We'll be experiencing drenching rain all weekend.

   • 2012 October 30, John Schwartz, Nina Bernstein, “Sandy Expected to Be Less Powerful, and Less Drenching, as It Moves Inland”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-11-24:

     In its 5 a.m. update, the National Hurricane Center noted that in its initial entry onto land, the storm remains a drenching, windy threat.

   • 2017 August 29, Brian Resnick, “Why Houston's flooding got so bad, according to storm experts”, in Vox‎^[2], archived from the original on 2023-05-21:

     They walked me through the dynamics of what made this a particularly drenching storm, why Houston is so susceptible to flooding, and whether the decision not to evacuate the city was the right call.

   • 2022 June 5, David Kroman, “Another atmospheric river drenches the Pacific Northwest; when will it end?”, in The Seattle Times‎^[3], Seattle, W.A.: The Seattle Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-06-16:

     The drenching weather is thanks in part to yet another "atmospheric river" flowing in from the west, as well as an air mass that was particularly moist, the weather service said. Sunday ranked in the 95th percentile for how much moisture was in the atmosphere compared to a "normal" June 5.

Derived terms

• drenchingly

Etymology 2

From Middle English drenchinge, equivalent to drench +‎ -ing.

Noun

drenching (plural drenchings)

1. The act by which something is drenched; a soaking.
   • 1859, Shirley Hibberd, The Town Garden, page 53:

     […] and it contains a very good selection of shrubs and herbaceous plants, which, having good soil and plentiful drenchings of water from a garden-engine all the summer, thrive to admiration.

2. The administering of a medicinal draught to an animal.
   • 2015, Elen Sentier, Gardening with the Moon & Stars:

     Horses,^[sic] get all sorts of medicines, wormings, drenchings, and their food may well have been produced chemically […]

Translations

the act by which something is drenched or soaked

• Maori: kōpironga