dewy

UK/ˈdjuː.i/US/ˈdjuː.i/

adjectiveC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,460 of 15,258leans spoken

Dewy means looking softly moist and fresh. A dewy complexion, dewy grass, dewy-eyed.

In cosmetics it names a finish — dewy against matte — and it is achieved by reflecting light rather than by actual moisture. Dewy-eyed means naively sentimental. Note dew, which forms when a surface cools below the temperature at which air gives up its water, usually just before dawn.

Definitions of dewy

1adjectivedewyLooking softly moist and fresh.C1
“Her skin looked dewy and fresh after the facial.”

dewy is a quality of freshness.

Where it comes from

Old English deawig is dew plus -y. Dew is Germanic and very old.

Proto-West Germanic
*dauwag
Old English
dēawiġ
Middle English
dewy
English, today
dewy

From Middle English dewy, deuhy, from Old English dēawiġ, from Proto-West Germanic dauwag, dauwīg, equivalent to dew + y.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Beauty & Cosmetics

Practise this word

dewy in the wild

Erebia pandrose, the dewy ringlet, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae.
Erebia pandrose
Erebia sthennyo, the false dewy ringlet, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae.
Erebia sthennyo
Another poem describes dewy lips and a sweet youthful harmony as the kestos of the Paphian Aphrodite.
Cestus
The dark, calm, dewy night closed down presently, and Sheila Kelly promptly finished her wicked work.
Dainty's Cruel Rivals; Or, The Fatal Birthday· Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

From Project Gutenberg, public domain. These sentences are from real books, shown to illustrate the word at work.

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