moisten

English

Etymology

From moist +‎ -en.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔɪsən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪsən

Verb

moisten (third-person singular simple present moistens, present participle moistening, simple past and past participle moistened)

1. (transitive) To make moist or moister.

   She put on some lip balm to moisten her lips.

2. (intransitive) To become moist or moister.

   His eyes began to moisten as he held back tears.

Conjugation

Conjugation of moisten

infinitive	(to) moisten
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	moisten	moistened
2nd-person singular	moisten, moistenest†	moistened, moistenedst†
3rd-person singular	moistens, moisteneth†	moistened
plural	moisten
subjunctive	moisten	moistened
imperative	moisten	—
participles	moistening	moistened

^†Archaic or obsolete.

Translations

to make moist

• Armenian: թրջել (hy) (tʿrǰel)
• Bulgarian: навлажнявам (bg) (navlažnjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使湿润

• Czech: navlhčit
• Egyptian: (jwḥ)
• Esperanto: malsekigi
• Finnish: kostuttaa (fi)
• French: humidifier (fr)

  Old French: amoistir

• Galician: mollar (gl), humedecer (gl)
• German: anfeuchten (de), befeuchten (de)
• Ido: arozetar (io)
• Italian: inumidire (it)
• Korean: 적시다 (ko) (jeoksida)
• Latin: madefacio, lavo (la), imbuō
• Maori: takawai, whakamākū, whakamākūkū
• Middle English: moisten
• Portuguese: humedecer (pt), umedecer (pt), humidecer, molhar (pt)
• Quechua: ch'aranchay, huq'uchay
• Romanian: uda (ro), umezi (ro), muia (ro)
• Russian: увлажня́ть (ru) (uvlažnjátʹ), увлажни́ть (ru) (uvlažnítʹ)
• Slovene: vlážiti
• Spanish: humedecer (es), mojar (es)
• Ukrainian: зволо́жувати impf (zvolóžuvaty), зволо́жити pf (zvolóžyty)

to become moist

• Armenian: թրջվել (hy) (tʿrǰvel)
• Bulgarian: навлажнявам се (navlažnjavam se)
• Czech: vlhnout, zvlhnout
• Finnish: kostua (fi)
• French: mouiller (fr)
• Galician: mollar (gl), humedecer (gl)
• German: feucht werden
• Ido: humideskar (io)
• Korean: 젖다 (ko) (jeotda)
• Russian: увлажня́ться (ru) (uvlažnjátʹsja), увлажни́ться (ru) (uvlažnítʹsja)
• Spanish: humedecerse, mojarse

Anagrams

• mestino, misnote

Finnish

Alternative forms

• moisien

Adjective

moisten

1. genitive plural of moinen

Anagrams

• monesti, moniste

Middle English

Alternative forms

• moiste, moystyn, moysten, moyst, mooysten

Etymology

From moiste +‎ -en (infinitival suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔi̯stən/

Verb

moisten

1. to moisten (make moister)
2. to supply or provide with moisture.
3. (rare) to invigorate; to enliven.
4. (rare) to become moist or moister.

Conjugation

Conjugation of moisten (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) moisten, moiste
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	moiste	moisted
2nd-person singular	moistest	moistedest
3rd-person singular	moisteth	moisted
subjunctive singular	moiste
imperative singular		—
plural1	moisten, moiste	moisteden, moistede
imperative plural	moisteth, moiste	—
participles	moistynge, moistende	moisted, ymoisted

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: moist (obsolete as a verb)

References

• “moisten, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.