moist

UK/mɔɪst/US/mɔɪst/

adjectiveB22 meanings Common in everyday speech and writing · #6,259 of 15,258leans written

Moist means slightly wet in a soft, even way — wet enough to feel, nowhere near dripping. A moist slice of cake, moist soil in a pot, eyes going moist at the end of the film.

Baking is where the word does its best work: a moist sponge, keep the chicken moist, moist crumbs left on the knife. Gardeners want moist compost and never soggy compost; air turns moist before rain. The family around it is moisture, moisten, moisturiser. Compare damp, which leans negative — damp socks, a damp cellar — while moist about food is straight praise. One warning nobody puts in the textbooks: a great many English speakers dislike the sound of moist, and it sits near the top of 'most hated word' lists, so you will hear people swerve to damp or juicy to avoid saying it.

Definitions of moist

1adjectivemoistSlightly wet, in a soft and even way.B2
“The cake was still moist three days later.”
- Said"The cake's still moist after three days; what did you put in it?"
- WrittenThe sponge was moist and dark, and it clung to the fork.
- UsedAdd grated apple to keep the loaf moist for longer.
- ContrastMoist, not wet. Wet drips and soaks; moist is a little damp all the way through, and pleasantly so. wet →
- Not thisSoggy bread is not moist bread. Moist is soft and welcome; soggy has gone too far.
- SimplyThe cake is moist. It is soft and good.
Patternmoist + noun (cake, soil, air) · keep sth moist · a moist crumb · moisture
synonyms: damp
2adjectiveeyesOf eyes: beginning to fill with tears.C1
“His eyes went moist when the letter was read out.”

Also accepted in games: damp

Remember it

MOIST → a little MOISTure left in the cake

A good cake is moist: soft, with a little moisture left inside it, never dry.

hooks ontomoisture

Where it comes from

Moist arrived through Middle English from Anglo-Norman and Old French moiste, 'damp, moist, wet'. Where French found it is not settled: it may be a blend of Latin mūcidus, 'mouldy, musty', with a later derivative of mustum, unfermented grape juice. Cake, mould and wine, tangled in one uncertain knot.

Latin
mūcidus — mouldy, musty
Old French
moiste
Middle French
moiste
Anglo-Norman
moist
Middle English
moist
English, today
moist

Built from

muste · Old French — damp, moist, wet

The adjective is derived from Middle English moist, moistemoost, most, moste, moyst, moyste, from Anglo-Norman moist, moiste, moste, Middle French moiste, and Old French moiste, muste (“damp, moist, wet”) (modern French moite); further etymology uncertain, perhaps a blend of a Latin - variant of Latin mūcidus (“mouldy, musty”) + a Late Latin derivative of Latin mustum (“unfermented or partially fermented grape juice or wine, must”). The noun is derived from the adjective.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Definitions of moist

1adjectivemoistSlightly wet, in a soft and even way.B2

“The cake was still moist three days later.”

Said"The cake's still moist after three days; what did you put in it?"
WrittenThe sponge was moist and dark, and it clung to the fork.
UsedAdd grated apple to keep the loaf moist for longer.
ContrastMoist, not wet. Wet drips and soaks; moist is a little damp all the way through, and pleasantly so. wet →
Not thisSoggy bread is not moist bread. Moist is soft and welcome; soggy has gone too far.
SimplyThe cake is moist. It is soft and good.

Patternmoist + noun (cake, soil, air) · keep sth moist · a moist crumb · moisture

synonyms: damp

2adjectiveeyesOf eyes: beginning to fill with tears.C1

“His eyes went moist when the letter was read out.”

Also accepted in games: damp