Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

drizzle

/ˈdɹɪzəl/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about drizzle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Very light rain; stronger than mist but less than a shower.

verb

Rain lightly.
When it drizzles in summer, hiking can be pleasant
Moisten with fine drops.
drizzle the meat with melted butter

Origin

Perhaps a back-formation from dryseling, a dissimilated variant of Middle English drysning (“a falling of dew”), from Northumbrian Old English drysnan (“to extinguish”), related to Old English drēosan (“to fall, to decline”), making it cognate to modern English droze and drowse. Compare also dialectal Swedish drösla.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word