mist

[mist] /mɪst/
noun
1.
a cloudlike aggregation of minute globules of water suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface, reducing visibility to a lesser degree than fog.
2.
a cloud of particles resembling this:
She sprayed a mist of perfume onto her handkerchief.
3.
something that dims, obscures, or blurs:
the mist of ignorance.
4.
a haze before the eyes that dims the vision:
a mist of tears.
5.
a suspension of a liquid in a gas.
6.
a drink of liquor served over cracked ice.
7.
a fine spray produced by a vaporizer to add moisture to the air for breathing.
verb (used without object)
8.
to become misty.
9.
to rain in very fine drops; drizzle (usually used impersonally with it as subject):
It was misting when they went out for lunch.
verb (used with object)
10.
to make misty.
11.
to spray (plants) with a finely diffused jet of water, as a means of replacing lost moisture.
Origin
before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, Low German, Swedish mist; akin to Greek omíchlē fog, Russian mgla mist, Sanskrit megha cloud; (v.) Middle English misten, Old English mistian, derivative of the noun
Related forms
mistless, adjective
demist, verb (used with object)
undermist, noun
Can be confused
midst, missed, mist.
Synonyms
3, 4. See cloud.

mist.

1.
(in prescriptions) a mixture.
Origin
< Latin mistūra
Examples from the web for mist
  • Shower heads using an aerating system create mist and steam, which may not be desirable in humid climates.
  • They can spray mist into a tunnel and then film the swirls the bats leave in their wake.
  • The mountain, swathed in mist on that winter morning, had the proper look of a place of spirits.
  • At times the mist was so thick visibility dropped to two or three yards.
  • The day of the barbecue, thoroughly mist the leaves with water to clean them before placing the container on the patio table.
  • In this image the traveler views an icy mist filling the valley as the suns sets over the north rim.
  • Each time you spray a standard cleaner on your counter you breathe in a fine mist of harmful chemicals.
  • For best bloom, mist with water several times a day unless you live in a cool or foggy area.
  • Grow grows plants using aeroponics: the plants are grown in air with nutrients and water delivered together in a fine mist.
  • Pack warm and waterproof clothing for the rain and mist.
British Dictionary definitions for mist

mist

/mɪst/
noun
1.
a thin fog resulting from condensation in the air near the earth's surface
2.
(meteorol) such an atmospheric condition with a horizontal visibility of 1–2 kilometres
3.
a fine spray of any liquid, such as that produced by an aerosol container
4.
(chem) a colloidal suspension of a liquid in a gas
5.
condensed water vapour on a surface that blurs the surface
6.
something that causes haziness or lack of clarity, such as a film of tears
verb
7.
to cover or be covered with or as if with mist
Word Origin
Old English; related to Middle Dutch, Swedish mist, Greek omikhlē fog
Word Origin and History for mist
n.

Old English mist "dimness (of eyesight), mist" (earliest in compounds, such as misthleoðu "misty cliffs," wælmist "mist of death"), from Proto-Germanic *mikhstaz (cf. Middle Low German mist, Dutch mist, Icelandic mistur, Norwegian and Swedish mist), perhaps from PIE *meigh- "to urinate" (cf. Greek omikhle, Old Church Slavonic migla, Sanskrit mih, megha "cloud, mist;" see micturition).

Sometimes distinguished from fog, either as being less opaque or as consisting of drops large enough to have a perceptible downward motion. [OED]
Also in Old English in sense of "dimness of the eyes, either by illness or tears," and in figurative sense of "things that obscure mental vision."

v.

Old English mistian "to become misty, to be or grow misty;" see mist (n.). Meaning "To cover with mist" is early 15c. Related: Misted; misting.

mist in Science
mist
  (mĭst)   
A mass of fine droplets of water in the atmosphere near or in contact with the Earth. Mist reduces visibility to not less than 1 km (0.62 mi). Compare fog.