damp
part of speech
adjective (damp, damper, dampest); noun (damp — uncountable); verb (damp, dampen)
meaning for a pupil
1) Damp means a little wet, not fully wet. tree →
2) Damp is wetness in the air or in the walls of a house, which can make mould grow. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life, damp clothes need to dry before you wear them; a damp cloth is good for wiping. In science, seeds need damp soil to sprout, and woodlice and worms like damp places. In health, damp, mouldy homes can make people cough. In weather, a damp day is grey and drizzly. Phrases: a damp cloth, damp patch, damp weather, damp squib.
examples
- My socks are still damp. tree →
- Wipe the table with a damp cloth. tree →
- Seeds grow in damp soil. tree →
- Woodlice live in damp, dark places. tree →
- There is a damp patch on the ceiling. tree →
- It was a cold, damp morning. tree →
- Hang your damp towel up to dry. tree →
- Mould grows on damp walls. tree →
- A rose-bush on the wall like that causes damp. tree →
note
Damp = slightly wet; soaking = very wet; moist is similar but used for food (a moist cake). Do not dry your hands on a damp towel before touching plugs; electricity and water are dangerous together.
In the corpora
- Woodlice need damp places and hide under logs and stones; they are crustaceans, related to crabs and shrimps, not insects.
- Slugs feed at night when it is damp, and hedgehogs, thrushes, frogs and beetles eat them.
- A mouse wants crumbs, a cockroach wants dark damp corners, and a clothes moth's caterpillar wants your wool jumper.
- Mould grows from tiny spores in the air and likes damp, warm, sugary food.
- In Scots, "dreich" describes grey, damp, gloomy weather, and "pure" can mean very.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «damp» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.