drench
/dɹɪ̟nt͡ʃ//dɹɛnt͡ʃ/
drench noun: a dose or draught of liquid medicine (especially one causing sleepiness) taken by a person; specifically, a (large) dose, or one forced or poured down the throat.
Noun (1)
drench (plural drenches)
- A dose or draught of liquid medicine (especially one causing sleepiness) taken by a person; specifically, a (large) dose, or one forced or poured down the throat.
- [T]hey need not carry ſuch an unvvorthy ſuſpicion over the Preachers of Gods vvord, as to tutor their unſoundneſſe vvith the Abcie of a Liturgy, or to diet their ignorance, and vvant of care, vvith the limited draught of a Mattin, and even ſong drench.1641, [John Milton], Animadversions upon the Remonstrants Defence against Smectymnuus, London: […] [Richard Oulton and Gregory Dexter] for Thomas Vnderhill, […], →OCLC, page 20
- Let ſuch bethink them, if the ſleepy drench / Of that forgetful Lake benumme not ſtill, / That in our proper motion we aſcend / Up to our native ſeat: deſcent and fall / To us is adverſe.1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
- A dose or draught of liquid medicine administered to an animal.
- O my ſvveet Harry ſaies ſhe! hovv manie haſt thou kild to day? Giue my roane horſe a drench (ſayes hee) and aunſvveres ſome foureteene, an houre after: a trifle, a trifle.c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]...
- It [siler] ſtaieth the gurrie or running out of the belly in foure-footed beaſts, vvhether it bee given ſtamped by vvay of a drench and ſo injected, or chevved drie among their meat vvith ſalt.1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XX.] Of the Serpentine Cucumber, Called otherwise the Wandering Cucumber: Also of the Garden Cucumbers, Melons or Pompions.”, in...
Verb
drench (third-person singular simple present drenches, present participle drenching, simple past and past participle drenched)
- To cause (someone) to drink; to provide (someone) with a drink.
- Pork ſucceeds to Beef, Pies to Puddings: The Cloth is remov'd, Madam, drench'd vvith a Bumper, drops a Courtſey, and departs; […]1756 February 3 (first performance), Samuel Foote, The Englishman Return’d from Paris, Being the Sequel to The Englishman in Paris. A Farce […], London: […] Paul Vaillant, […], published 1756, →OCLC...
- But music alone, would not do—Some roast-beef was a necessary article, and some wine, to feed and drench the actors.1806 May, “Private Theatricals. King’s Bench, Feb. 17. Duchaliot, Assignee of Delpini, v. Lord Barrymore.”, in The Sporting Magazine; or Monthly Calendar of the Transactions of the Turf, the Chase...
- To make (someone or something) completely wet by having water or some other liquid fall or thrown on them or it; to saturate, to soak; also (archaic), to make (someone or something) completely wet by immersing in water or some other liquid; to soak, to steep.
- That our Garments being (as they were) drencht in the Sea, hold notwithſtanding their freſhneſſe and gloſſes, being rather new dy'de then ſtain'd with ſalte water.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...
- Deſolations by vvarrs; hovv many fields have been drencht vvith blood, and compoſted vvith carcaſſes; hovv many Millions of men have been cut off in all ages by the edge of the ſvvord?1641 September 17 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Hall, “A Sermon Preacht in the Cathedral at Exceter, upon the Solemn Day Appointed for the Celebration of the Pacification betwixt the Two Kingdoms....
- To drown (someone).
- VVhat flames (q[uo]d he) vvhen I thee preſent ſee, / In daunger rather to be drent, then brent?1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 49, page 270
- He lookt a little further, and eſpyde / Another vvretch, vvhoſe carcas deepe vvas drent / VVithin the riuer, vvhich the ſame did hyde: […]1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 61, page 288
- Synonyms:
- endrench, indrench
- To overwhelm (someone); to drown, to engulf.
- To be drowned; also, to be immersed in water.
- Alas, now drencheth my ſwete fo, / That with the ſpoyle of my hart did go, / And left me but (alas) why did he ſo?a. 1548 (date written), [Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey], “Complaint of the Absence of Her Louer Being vpon the Sea”, in Songes and Sonettes, London: […] Richard Tottel, published 10 August 1557...
Noun (2)
drench (plural drenches)
- An act of making someone or something completely wet; a soak or soaking, a wetting.
- Whenever it was the thought first struck him / How Death, at unawares, might duck him / Deeper than the grave, and quench / The gin-shop's light in Hell's grim drench […]1850, Robert Browning, “Christmas-Eve. Stanza III.”, in Christmas-Eve and Easter-Day. A Poem, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 10
- An amount of water or some other liquid that will make someone or something completely wet.
drench meaning in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Arabic
drench in Tamil
- ஊட்டுமருந்து
drench in Malayalam
- നനച്ചു കുതിർക്കുക, ദ്രാവകത്തിൽ മുക്കിയെടുക്കുക, ബലാൽക്കാരമായി മരുന്നു കൊടുക്കുക
drench in Kannada
- ಒಂದು ಸಲದ ಔಷಧದ ಪ್ರಮಾಣ, ನೀರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನೆನೆಯುವುದು, ತೋಯುವಿಕೆ, ನೆನೆಸು, ಒದ್ದೆಮಾಡು, ತೋಯಿಸು
drench in Arabic
- to make (someone or something) completely wet by having water or some other liquid fall or thrown on them or it — see also saturate, soak
- بَلَّلَ ballala, نَقَعَ naqaʕa
More languagesFewer languages
- drench in Persian
- خیس کردن xis kardan, خیساندن xisândan
Examples of drench in a sentence
- Corpulence is a beauty: girls are fattened to a vast bulk by drenches of curds and cream thickened with flour, and are duly disciplined when they refuse.1860, Richard F[rancis] Burton, “We Return to Unyanyembe”, in The Lake Regions of Central Africa: A Picture of Exploration […], volume II...
- Guido heard all, swore the befitting oaths, / Shook off the relics of his poison-drench, / Got horse, was fairly started in pursuit […]1868, Robert Browning, “II. Half-Rome.”, in The Ring and the Book. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., →OCLC, page 124, lines...
- A stranger maiden, passing fair, / Had drenched him with a beverage rare;— […]1808 February 22, Walter Scott, “Canto Fifth. The Court.”, in Marmion; a Tale of Flodden Field, Edinburgh: […] J[ames] Ballantyne and Co....
- Novv dam the Ditches, and the Floods reſtrain: / Their moiſture has already drench'd the Plain.1697, Virgil, “The Third Pastoral. Or, Palæmon.”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and...
Synonyms of drench
Forms of drench
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | drenches |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | drenches |
| present participle | drenching |
| past participle | drenched |
| past | drenched |
| first-person singular past (archaic) | drencht |
| second-person singular present (archaic) | drenchest |
| second-person singular past (archaic) | drenchedst |
| second-person singular past (archaic) | drencht |
| third-person singular present (archaic) | drencheth |
| third-person singular past (archaic) | drencht |
| plural past (archaic) | drencht |
| past subjunctive (archaic) | drencht |
| past participle (archaic) | drencht |
Origin of drench
From Middle English drench, drenche (“beverage, drink; cup of drink, specifically a poisoned drink; medicinal potion, specifically an emetic (?)”) [and other forms], from Old English drenċ (“drink; draft, potion; dose (of medicine, poison, etc.)”), from Proto-West Germanic *dranki, from Proto-Germanic *drankiz (“drink; potion; dose”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrenǵ- (“to draw, pull; to gulp; to sip”). Doublet of drink (noun). Cognates * Gothic 𐌳𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌺 (draggk), 𐌳𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌺 (dragk, “beverage, drink”) * Old Dutch *dranc, (Middle Dutch dranc, modern Dutch drank (“beverage, drink”)) * Old High German tranc, tranch (Middle High German tranc, modern German Trank (“drink; potion”)) * Old Saxon dranc
The verb is derived from Middle English drenchen, drench (“to drown; to flood, inundate; to consume (drink or food); to give (someone) a drink; to poison (someone) with a drink; to immerse, soak, drench; to descend, fall, sink; to penetrate, permeate; (figurative) to engulf, overwhelm”) [and other forms], from Old English drenċan (“to give (someone) a drink; to immerse, soak, drench”), from Proto-West Germanic *drankijan, from Proto-Germanic *drankijaną (“to cause (someone) to drink”), the causative of *drinkaną (“to drink”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrenǵ- (“to draw, pull; to gulp; to sip”). Doublet of drink (verb). The noun is derived from the verb (etymology 2, verb sense 1.2). Cognates * Old High German trenchen (modern German tränken (“to give a drink; to water”)) * Old Norse drekkja, drenkja (Swedish dränka) * Old Saxon dręnkian (Dutch drenke (“to get a drink”))
Words formed from drench
- horse-drench
- endrench
- indrench
- sun-drenched
Words that rhyme with drench
11 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about drench
- What does drench mean?
- Drench means a dose or draught of liquid medicine (especially one causing sleepiness) taken by a person; specifically, a (large) dose, or one forced or poured down the throat.
- What is drench in Tamil?
- Drench in Tamil is ஊட்டுமருந்து. See Drench meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use drench in a sentence?
- Corpulence is a beauty: girls are fattened to a vast bulk by drenches of curds and cream thickened with flour, and are duly disciplined when they refuse.
- What part of speech is drench?
- Drench can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce drench?
- Drench is pronounced /dɹɛnt͡ʃ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of drench?
- The plural of drench is drenches.
Words near drench in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: drench (page history and authors); drench (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); drench (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); drench (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-drench.wav.
Cite this entry: “drench.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/drench. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.