[f. WET v.]
1. The action of making wet, or the fact of becoming wet; also (with a and pl.), an instance of this: a. Of persons, esp. by rain or falling into water.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., 268. Þo Marie hadde i-blessed þat watur with hire honde, With-oute wetingue þare-ouer heo ȝeode.
c. 1330. [see WETNESS β].
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1579. Pight vp with pilers … [for] Weghis into walke for wetyng of rayn.
1610. Shaks., Temp., IV. i. 211. That’s more to me then my wetting.
1645. Bp. Hall, Remedy Discont., 149. It must be our wisedome … some whiles to abide a wetting; that, if need be, wee may endure a drenching also.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 5 May 1645. So that one can hardly step without wetting to the skin.
1836. Southey, Lett. (1856), IV. 490. At the cost of a thorough wetting under a succession of heavy showers.
1849. C. Brontë, Shirley, xxvi. Many a wetting we got amongst the mountains.
1876. Smiles, Sc. Natur., xii. (ed. 4), 250. The sea was like a sheet of glass; so that he had little fear of getting a wetting during his few hours’ stay.
b. In general use. Also in fig. context.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter i. 3. He sall be as a tre that … has ay wetynge of the watirs of grace.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 27. Þat men þoru hem moun take weetynge of hevenly deew to her drie hertis.
1390. Gower, Conf., II. 39. As a cat wolde ete fisshes withoute wetinge of his cles.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 523/2. Wetynge, madefaccio, madidacio.
1577. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., III. 119 b. Your stable must be buylt in a dry place, for wetting the Horses hoofe.
1623. in Foster, Eng. Factories Ind. (1908), II. 285. The wettinge and late cominge downe of thier goods.
1693. Evelyn, De la Quint. Compl. Gard., II. 59. The second thing that is to be done, after having remov’d Fig-Trees out of the Conservatory,… is (to use the Phrase of Gard’ners) to give them a good Wetting in every Case; which is, one good substantial Watering.
1725. Bradley’s Family Dict., s.v. Narcissus of Japan, They must have a sound wetting, steeping the Pots in Water until you find it swims upon the Surface.
1789. T. Wright, Meth. Watering Meadows (1790), 23. It can be of no service to the lowest parts of the meadow, unless as a wetting in Spring or Summer.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, I. 255. The wetting of the slate was merely superficial.
1863. P. Barry, Dockyard Econ., 197. The only sensible effect is the wetting of the wires.
1886. Athenæum, 20 Feb., 268/1. It is functionally protective against undue wetting by rain.
2. The action of moistening the throat with liquid; a small quantity of water or liquor used for this purpose.
1340–70. Alex. & Dind., 1033. Drink may him helpe, A litil wetinge of watur his wo wol amende.
1835. J. M. Wilson, Tales of Border, I. 118. It is seldom a thimblefu’ that fa’s to my share,… mony a time, no a weetin’.
1884. Punch, 11 Oct., 180/1. ’Twas like the free run of a Bar, And Politics wants lots o’ wetting.
1906. Times, 6 March, 9/6. Drinks and ‘wetting,’ ruinous to health and morals, are part of the business plant.
3. The action of making wet or moist as part of a special process: a. Of cloth. (Also in fig. contexts.)
1463–4. Rolls of Parlt., V. 501/2. That every Cloth of Kersey … be parfitly wette, and after that wetyng redy to the sale,… connteigne in lengh xviii yerdes.
1540, 1592. [see SHRINK v. 2 b].
1593. Greene, Mamillia, II. E 4. The cloath is not knowne till it come to the weeting.
1616. T. Draxe, Bibl. Scholast., 189. He will not abide the touchstone. He shrinketh in the wetting.
1627. J. Taylor (Water P.), Navy Land Ships, B 5. Like No[r]therne Cloth shrunke in the wetting.
1631. R. Bolton, Comf. Affl. Consc., iv. (1635), 16. A professour of the truest and heavenliest dye that holds out in the wetting and shrinkes not in the Day of adversitie.
1875. Knight, Dict. Mech., 2415/2. The stretch is taken out of it by repeated wettings and stretchings.
b. The steeping of barley in the process of malting; the quantity steeped at one time.
1467. Bury Wills (Camden), 46. That the occupier … shall haue his wetyng of his barley in the fate of the seid Denyse during maltyng tyme,… the seid Denyse on wetyng and the seid occupier an other wetyng.
1702. Lond. Gaz., No. 3790/4. Every Cistern … or other Vessel,… made use of for the Wetting or Steeping of Corn. Ibid. (1720), No. 5864/2. The intire wetting … shall be charged with the Duty of 6d. per Bushel.
c. fig. (Cf. WET v. 11.)
1706. E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 53. He must have his double Jug, before he weighs,… because wetting of his Sails, will make him run the faster.
d. Glass-making. (See quot. and WET v. 13.)
1888. Daily News, 14 Feb., 6/5. The bottle is … cut off from the blow pipe by means of a steel chisel and cold water. This is called ‘wetting’ or ‘wetting off.’
4. concr. A liquid mixture employed to wet something else. (See also E.D.D., Wetting sb. 3.)
1728. [E. Smith], Compleat Housew. (ed. 2), 134. Make a Hole in the midst of the Flour, and pour all the wetting in.
5. attrib., as wetting-board, -machine, -place, -trough.
1790. Act 31 Geo. III., c. 7 § 18. The Cistern, Uting-fat, or other Wetting-place or Utensil.
1800. Act 41 Geo. III., c. 6 § 3. Damaged Barley in the Cistern,… or other wetting Place.
1888. Jacobi, Printers’ Vocab., Wetting boards, the boards placed between the different reams in the press in the wetting department. Ibid., Wetting machines. Ibid., Wetting trough.
