different between douse vs doust

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: daus, IPA^(key): /da?s/
• Rhymes: -a?s

Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

• dowse, douze, douce, dause (all obsolete or nonstandard)

Verb

douse (third-person singular simple present douses, present participle dousing, simple past and past participle doused)

2. (transitive, intransitive) To plunge suddenly into water; to duck; to immerse.
3. (intransitive) To fall suddenly into water.
4. (transitive) To put out; to extinguish.
   • 1999, Arthur D. Jacobs, The Prison Called Hohenasperg

     The man who doused the fire was told to put the remainder of the coal into the bucket and then give the bucket to the soldier.

   • Kelly Henderson, Your Mythic Spirit Guide: Spirituality for a Creative Life

     Once you feel confident in your visualizations, you may douse the candle by blowing it out.

Translations

Noun

douse (plural douses)

1. A sudden plunging into water.
   • 1911, Cyphers Series on Practical Poultry Keeping (issue 1, page 74)

     In winter a douse in cold water helps the looks and adds to the style of the carcass, but they should be thoroughly dried before packing.

Etymology 2

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.

Alternative forms

• dowse

Verb

douse (third-person singular simple present douses, present participle dousing, simple past and past participle doused)

2. (transitive) To strike, beat, or thrash.
3. (transitive, nautical) To strike or lower in haste; to slacken suddenly

   Douse the topsail!

Translations

Noun

douse (plural douses)

2. A blow or stroke, especially to the face.

Anagrams

• oused

Middle English

Noun

douse

1. Alternative form of douce

English

Noun

doust (uncountable)

1. (obsolete, West Country) Dust.

Verb

doust (third-person singular simple present dousts, present participle dousting, simple past and past participle dousted)

1. (obsolete, West Country) To extinguish, to destroy, to kill.
   • Anonymous (1831) The Bristol Job Nott; or, Labouring Man's Friend?^[1]:

     [...] the Duke of Dorset charged in the list with "not known, but supposed forty thousand per year" (charitable supposition) had when formerly in office only about 3 or £4,000, and has not now, nor when the black list was printed, any office whatever -- (Much tumult, and cries of "shame" and "doust the liars")

   • Fussel, E.F. (1867) Medical Times and Gazette, page 420: “"[...] I wished the above system of drainage to be carried out, but I met with this response from an official, in many matters a man entitled to the greatest consideration:- "I found that sort of thing at a house the other day, and I soon dousted it."”
   • Havergal, Francis Tebbs (1887) Herefordshire words & phrases, colloquial and archaic, about 1300 in number, current in the county: “"Him hit Jack on his head, it nearly dousted him."”
   • Clynton, Richard (1889) The Life of a Celebrated Buccaneer: “Look at me, mates! The glim of one of my skylights is dousted, and is battened down for ever.”
2. (obsolete, West Country) To dust.
3. (obsolete, mining, chiefly Cornwall) To separate dust from ore.
   • Lock, Charles George Warnford (1895) Economic mining: a practical handbook for the miner, the metallurgist and the merchant: “The ore is first cobbed and classed into (a) prile, (b) best dredge, and (c) crusher dredge; a is finished product; c is crushed, jigged, and huddled; b is dousted, or, after reducing in rolls to 8-mesh, dry-sifted in fine mesh hand sieves.”

Anagrams

• USDOT, douts

Middle English

Noun

doust (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of dust