Definition

Verb: To cover or moisten with drops of dew, or with something resembling dew.

Usage

The verb "bedew" is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object. It describes the action of sprinkling or covering a surface with small drops of liquid, typically dew. It is often used in literary or descriptive contexts to convey a sense of gentle moisture.

Examples

• The morning mist began to bedew the spider's web.
• Her eyes were bedewed with tears of joy.
• The gardener bedewed the delicate seedlings with a fine spray.

Advanced Usage

• Figurative Use: "Bedew" can be used figuratively to describe something being lightly sprinkled or imbued with a quality, often an emotion.
  • His speech was bedewed with nostalgia for a bygone era.
• Passive Voice: Commonly used in the passive form ("bedewed") to describe the state of something.
  • The grass was bedewed and glittering in the sunrise.

Variants and Related Words

• Bedewed (adjective): Describing something covered with dew or moisture.
  • The bedewed petals looked especially fragile.
• Dew (noun): The tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night.
• Besprinkle (verb): To scatter or sprinkle over something (a more general synonym).

Synonyms

• Moisten
• Dampen
• Sprinkle
• Besprinkle

Antonyms

• Dry
• Dehydrate
• Parch

Notes

"Bedew" is considered a somewhat archaic or poetic word in modern English. In everyday language, words like "moisten," "dampen," or "sprinkle" are more commonly used. Its use primarily serves to create a specific, gentle, and often visual or emotional effect.

Verb

1. cover with drops of dew or as with dew