Drizzle Meaning
/ˈdɹɪzəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo rain lightly.
verbTo shed slowly in minute drops or particles.
Sentence Examples
A quarrel between husband and wife is like a spring day's drizzle.
What syrup did you drizzle on your pancake?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The weather forecast warned of a light ____ that might last for hours.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A quarrel between husband and wife is like a spring day's ____.
Word Origin & History
Perhaps a back-formation from dryseling, a dissimilated variant of Middle English drysning (“a falling of dew”), from 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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And from mine eyes the drizling teares descend,
As on your boughes the ysicles depend."
— 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “Ianuarye. Ægloga Prima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC:
"When the sun sets, the air doth drizzle dew;
But for the sunset of my brother’s son
It rains downright."
— c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:
"She found that all those ladies who did not play at cards occupied their fingers with parfilage.[...] Here, the work was called drizzling. Ladies begged their friends to give them pieces of the gold lace used on uniforms and the gold tassels of sword-belts, they picked out the metal threads, and by selling these they realised considerable sums. Prince Leopold himself drizzled continually[...]"
— 1908 January 26 – June 26, James Knowles, “Extracts from the Journal of Lady Mary Coke”, in The Nineteenth Century And After, volume 63, New York, N.Y.; London: Leonard Scott Publication Co.; Spottiswoode & Co. Ltd., Printers, →OCLC, page 433:
"Up here, it's a 'dreich' day with steady drizzle. Deep drainage channels either side of the track are already more like streams: Rannoch Moor is a wet place."
— 2023 November 29, Paul Clifton, “West is best in the Highlands”, in RAIL, number 997, page 39:
"The rest of the day is spent trying to concentrate on ingredient labels, ordering supplies, baking some fairy cakes for a hen party and two lemon drizzles, one for a new baby and one for an old dear's birthday."
— 2009, Jules Stanbridge, Sugar and Spice:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The weather forecast warned of a light ____ that might last for hours.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A quarrel between husband and wife is like a spring day's ____.