Definition of "drench"
drench1
noun
plural drenches
(archaic, also figurative) A dose or draught of liquid medicine (especially one causing sleepiness) taken by a person; specifically, a (large) dose, or one forced or poured down the throat.
Quotations
[T]hey need not carry ſuch an unvvorthy ſuſpicion over the Preacher of God's vvord, as to tutor their unſoundneſſe vvith the Abcie of a Liturgy, or to diet their ignorance, and vvant of care, vvith the limited draught of a Mattin, and even ſong drench.
1641, John Milton, “Sect. 2”, in Animadversions upon the Remonstrants Defence against Smectymnuus; republished in A Complete Collection of the Historical, Political, and Miscellaneous Works of John Milton, […], volume I, Amsterdam [actually London: s.n.], 1698, page 147
Let ſuch bethink them, if the ſleepy drench / Of that forgetful Lake benumme not ſtill, / That in our proper motion we aſcend / Up to our native ſeat: deſcent and fall / To us is adverſe.
1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […]; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, lines 73–77
Corpulence is a beauty: girls are fattened to a vast bulk by drenches of curds and cream thickened with flour, and are duly disciplined when they refuse.
1860, Richard F[rancis] Burton, “We Return to Unyanyembe”, in The Lake Regions of Central Africa: A Picture of Exploration […], volume II, London: Longman, Green, Longman and Roberts, page 182
He [the horse-doctor] made up a bucket of bran-mash, and said a dipperful of it every two hours, alternated with a drench with turpentine and axle-grease in it, would either knock my ailments out of men in twenty-four hours, or so interest me in other ways as to make me forget they were on the premises. […] I took up the Christian Science book and read half of it, then took a dipperful of drench and read the other half.
1899 October, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter III, in Christian Science […], New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers, published February 1907, book I, page 28
(veterinary medicine) A dose or draught of liquid medicine administered to an animal.
Quotations
O my ſvveet Harry ſaies ſhe! hovv manie haſt thou kild to day? Giue my roane horſe a drench (ſayes hee) and aunſvveres ſome foureteene, an houre after: a trifle, a trifle.
c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, [Act II, scene iv], signature D3, recto
It [siler] ſtaieth the gurrie or running out of the belly in foure-footed beaſts, vvhether it bee given ſtamped by vvay of a drench and ſo injected, or chevved drie among their meat vvith ſalt.
1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XX.] Of the Serpentine Cucumber, Called otherwise the Wandering Cucumber: Also of the Garden Cucumbers, Melons or Pompions.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 2nd tome, London: […] Adam Islip, published 1635, page 41
A Drench of VVine has vvith ſucceſs been us'd; / And through a Horn, the gen'rous Juice infus'd: / VVhich timely taken op'd his cloſing Javvs; / But, if too late, the Patient's [a horse's] death did cauſe.
1697, Virgil, “The Third Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], page 119
drench2
verb
third-person singular simple present drenches, present participle drenching, simple past and past participle drenched
(transitive)
To cause (someone) to drink; to provide (someone) with a drink.
Quotations
Pork ſucceeds to Beef, Pies to Puddings: The Cloth is remov'd, Madam, drench'd vvith a Bumper, drops a Courtſey, and departs; […]
1756 February 3 (first performance), Samuel Foote, The Englishman Return’d from Paris, Being the Sequel to The Englishman in Paris. A Farce […], London: […] Paul Vaillant, […], published 1756, Act I, page 27
But music alone, would not do—Some roast-beef was a necessary article, and some wine, to feed and drench the actors.
1806 May, “Private Theatricals. King’s Bench, Feb. 17. Duchaliot, Assignee of Delpini, v. Lord Barrymore.”, in The Sporting Magazine; or Monthly Calendar of the Transactions of the Turf, the Chase, and Every Other Diversion Interesting to the Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, and Spirit, volume 28, London: […] W. M‘Dowall, […] and sold by J[ohn] Wheble, […], page 80, column 2
A stranger maiden, passing fair, / Had drenched him with a beverage rare;— […]
1808 February 22, Walter Scott, “Canto Fifth. The Court.”, in Marmion; a Tale of Flodden Field, Edinburgh: […] J[ames] Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Company, […]; London: William Miller, and John Murray, stanza XXII, page 274
If the people felt themselves so happy; if they had enjoyed, and were enjoying, such prosperity as to call for a Jubilee, they would, of course, rejoice, they would sing and dance and shout, without being fed and drenched by way of hire to sing, dance, and shout.
1809 November 2, W[illia]m Cobbett, “To William Bosville, Esq.”, in Cobbett’s Weekly Political Register, volume XVI, number 18, London: […] T[homas] C[urson] Hansard, […] [for] Richard Bagshaw, […], published 1809 November 4, columns 642–643
Strange that such a cursing wretch should not have laid to heart, that those God's hand will sure undo, who cause their parents wounded heart to smart, whose blood and marrow fed and drenched them, and of whom they form a part.
1921, Immanuel ben Solomon Romi, chapter XII, in Hermann Gollancz, transl., Tophet and Eden (Hell and Paradise): In Imitation of Dante’s Inferno and Paradiso, […], London: University of London Press, […], page 35
(archaic) , to make (someone or something) completely wet by immersing in water or some other liquid; to soak, to steep.
Quotations
That our Garments being (as they were) drencht in the Sea, hold notwithſtanding their freſhneſſe and gloſſes, being rather new dy'de then ſtain'd with ſalte water.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act II, scene i], page 6, column 2
Deſolations by vvarrs; hovv many fields have been drencht vvith blood, and compoſted vvith carcaſſes; hovv many Millions of men have been cut off in all ages by the edge of the ſvvord?
1641 September 17 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Hall, “A Sermon Preacht in the Cathedral at Exceter, upon the Solemn Day Appointed for the Celebration of the Pacification betwixt the Two Kingdoms. Viz. Septemb. 7. 1641 [Julian calendar].”, in The Shaking of the Olive-Tree. The Remaining Works of that Incomparable Prelate Joseph Hall, D.D. […], London: […] J. Cadwel for J[ohn] Crooke, […], published 1660, page 53
Good Shepherds after ſheering, drench their Sheep, / And their Flocks Father (forc'd from high to leap) / Svvims dovvn the Stream, and plunges in the Deep.
1697, Virgil, “The Third Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], page 116, lines 680–682
I've ſeen a Beau, in ſome ill-fated hour, / VVhen o'er the Stones choak'd Kennels ſvvell the Shovv'r, / In gilded Chariot loll; he vvith Diſdain, / Vievvs ſpatter'd Paſſengers, all drench'd in Rain; […]
, [John] Gay, “Book II. Of Walking the Streets by Day.”, in Trivia: Or, The Art of Walking the Streets of London, London: […] Bernard Lintott, […], page 46
Thou [God] visitest the earth, and waterest it; / Thou abundantly enrichest it / With the 'dewy' stream of God, replete with water. / Thou preparest, and fittest it for corn: / Thou drenchest its furrows; its clods thou dissolvest; / Thou mellowest it with showers; thou blessest its increase; […]A version of Psalm 65:9–10 from the Bible.
1805, John Mason Good, “Book the First”, in Titus Lucretius Carus, translated by John Mason Good, The Nature of Things: A Didactic Poem. […], volume I, London: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], footnote, page 59
With that, straight up the hill there rode / Two horsemen drenched with gore, / And in their arms, a helpless load, / A wounded knight they bore.
1808 February 22, Walter Scott, “Canto Sixth. The Battle.”, in Marmion; a Tale of Flodden Field, Edinburgh: […] J[ames] Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Company, […]; London: William Miller, and John Murray, stanza XXIX, page 359
I knew the flowers, I knew the leaves, I knew / The tearful glimmer of the languid dawn / On those long, rank, dark woodwalks drenched in dew, / Leading from lawn to lawn.
1832 December (indicated as 1833), Alfred Tennyson, “A Dream of Fair Women”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], stanza XXV, page 128
War! thy wild chariot rolls o'er piles of the slain, / Thou drenchest empires in thy crimson rain!
1858 September 24, Alfred B[illings] Street, “Poem, Delivered on Laying the Corner-stone of the New York State Inebriate Asylum, at Binghamton, September 24, 1858”, in The Poems of Alfred B. Street. […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: Hurd and Houghton, […], published 1867, page 53
Thou re-echoedst a mysterious roar, and drenchedst the thirsty earth with rain.A translation of lines 7 and 8 of Alexander Pushkin’s poem “Ту́ча” (“The Cloud”).
1917, A. E. Semeonoff, H. J. W. Tillyard, “Notes: Pushkin”, in Russian Poetry Reader […], London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.; New York, N.Y.: E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton & Co., note 5, page 33
(intransitive, obsolete) To be drowned; also, to be immersed in water.
Quotations
Alas, now drencheth my ſwete fo, / That with the ſpoyle of my hart did go, / And left me but (alas) why did he ſo?
a. 1548 (date written), [Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey], “Complaint of the Absence of Her Louer Being vpon the Sea”, in Songes and Sonettes, London: […] Richard Tottel, published 10 August 1557 (Gregorian calendar), folios 8, recto – 8, verso
noun
plural drenches
An act of making someone or something completely wet; a soak or soaking, a wetting.
Quotations
Whenever it was the thought first struck him / How Death, at unawares, might duck him / Deeper than the grave, and quench / The gin-shop's light in Hell's grim drench […]
1850, Robert Browning, “Christmas-Eve. Stanza III.”, in Christmas-Eve and Easter-Day. A Poem, London: Chapman & Hall, […], page 10