dew
Moisture condensed from the atmosphere, especially at night, on cool surfaces.
Etymology
Modern English dew comes from Old English dēaw "dew, moisture," from Proto-Germanic *dawwaz, from PIE *dʰews- meaning "to flow, to drip, to rain." The root captures the sense of moisture falling or flowing. The same PIE root may connect to Sanskrit dhāv- "to flow, to run" and Greek theín "to run." Within Germanic, German Tau, Dutch dauw, and Old Norse dǫgg "dew" are close cognates. The word has generated evocative compounds: dewdrop, dewlap (the hanging skin under a cow's throat, literally "dew-flap" because it brushes through wet grass), and the personal name Dewey. The ephemeral quality of dew has made it a powerful literary metaphor across cultures — in Old English poetry, dew frequently symbolises transience and sorrow. The scientific study of dew formation, drosometry, uses a Greek root from the same family.
The Journey: *dʰews- → dew
*dʰews-
*dawwaz
dēaw
dew
dew
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *dʰews-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sanskrit | dhāv- | to flow, run |
| German | Tau | dew |
| Old Norse | dǫgg | dew |
| Dutch | dauw | dew |
| Gothic | *daggw | dew (reconstructed) |
Did You Know?
A dewlap — the loose fold of skin hanging from a cow's or old person's throat — literally means "dew-flap." It was named because the skin hangs low enough to brush through the dewy grass as the animal grazes. The compound has been in English since at least the 14th century.