dampen

See also: dämpen

English

Etymology

From damp +‎ -en.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdæmpən/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æmpən

Verb

dampen (third-person singular simple present dampens, present participle dampening, simple past and past participle dampened)

1. (transitive) To make damp or moist; to make moderately wet.
2. (intransitive) To become damp or moist.
3. (transitive) To lessen; to dull; to make less intense (said of emotions and non-physical things).

   We won't let the bad news dampen our spirits.

   • 1883 "Pomona's Daughter", Frank R. Stockton, in The Century, vol. XXVI, number 1, May, page 25

     He was dreadfully familiar with everything, and talked about some places we were longing to see in a way that considerably dampened our enthusiasm.

   • 2007 October 16, Jane E. Brody, “Despite Strides, Listeria Needs Vigilance”, in The New York Times:

     Pregnant women are 20 times as likely as other healthy young women to contract listeriosis, probably because in pregnancy the immune system is dampened to prevent rejection of the fetus.

   • 2020 May 20, “J&J to sell baby powder in UK despite stopping US sales”, in BBC‎^[1], London: BBC, retrieved 2020-05-22:

     The firm said changes in consumer behaviour had also dampened demand for the powder.

4. (transitive, proscribed) To suppress vibrations (mechanical) or oscillations (electrical) by converting energy to heat (or some other form of energy).
5. (intransitive) To become damped or deadened.

Derived terms

• dampen down
• dampen off

 

Translations

make damp — see also moisten

• Bulgarian: навлажнявам (bg) (navlažnjavam), овлажнявам (bg) (ovlažnjavam)
• Finnish: kostuttaa (fi)
• French: humecter (fr), humidifier (fr), mouiller (fr)
• German: befeuchten (de), anfeuchten (de)
• Hungarian: nedvesít (hu), megnedvesít (hu)
• Ido: arozetar (io)
• Italian: inumidire (it)
• Maori: whakamākūkū
• Middle English: moisten
• Russian: увлажня́ть (ru) impf (uvlažnjátʹ), увлажни́ть (ru) pf (uvlažnítʹ)
• Slovak: navlhčiť
• Spanish: humedecer (es), humectar (es)
• Swedish: fukta (sv), väta (sv)
• Ukrainian: зволо́жувати impf (zvolóžuvaty), зволо́жити pf (zvolóžyty)

depress, lessen

• Bulgarian: обезсърчавам (bg) (obezsǎrčavam), угнетявам (bg) (ugnetjavam)
• Dutch: bedrukken (nl), dempen (nl)
• French: déprécier (fr), rabaisser (fr)
• German: dämpfen (de)
• Maori: whakanoti (a fire to prevent it burning too quickly or fiercely), kōmau
• Spanish: deprimir (es), reducir (es)
• Swedish: dämpa (sv)

become damp, to deaden

• Bulgarian: навлажнявам се (navlažnjavam se)
• French: s’humidifier, s’humecter
• Ido: humideskar (io)

Anagrams

• dampne, madnep

Danish

Noun

dampen c

1. definite singular of damp

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɑmpə(n)/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: dam‧pen
• Rhymes: -ɑmpən

Etymology 1

From damp +‎ -en. The meaning “to vape” is a semantic loan from English.

Verb

dampen

1. (intransitive) to steam, to give off steam or smoke
2. (intransitive) to vape (to inhale the vapour of an electronic cigarette)

   Synonym: vapen

Inflection

Inflection of dampen (weak)
infinitive	dampen
past singular	dampte
past participle	gedampt
infinitive	dampen
gerund	dampen n
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	damp	dampte
2nd person sing. (jij)	dampt	dampte
2nd person sing. (u)	dampt	dampte
2nd person sing. (gij)	dampt	dampte
3rd person singular	dampt	dampte
plural	dampen	dampten
subjunctive sing.1	dampe	dampte
subjunctive plur.1	dampen	dampten
imperative sing.	damp
imperative plur.1	dampt
participles	dampend	gedampt
1) Archaic.

Derived terms

• bedampen
• indampen
• uitdampen
• verdampen

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

dampen

1. plural of damp

Middle English

Verb

dampen

1. Alternative form of dampnen

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

dampen m

1. definite singular of damp

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

dampen

1. definite singular of damp