v. [f. L. fūmigāt- ppl. stem of fūmigāre to smoke, f. fūmus FUME sb.]
1. trans. To apply smoke or fumes to; esp. to disinfect or purify by exposure to smoke or fumes.
1781. Cowper, Lett. to Newton (1884), 69. You never fumigate the ladies, or force them out of company.
1791. Hamilton, Berthollet’s Dyeing, I. I. II. i. 136. The silks are washed, fumigated with sulphur, and azured with river water.
1803. Med. Jrnl., IX. 460. Acid fumigations bid fair to stop the progress of the complaint … though it might not always have been proper to fumigate the apartments of the sick.
1845. Florist’s Jrnl., 170. Let them [plants] be frequently well fumigated.
fig. 1876. Geo. Eliot, Dan. Der., II. xix. 7. These fine words with which we fumigate … unpleasant facts.
b. To scent with fumes; to perfume.
1530. Palsgr., 559/2. I fumygate a place with a swete fumygacion, je enfume or je parfume. Let the place be well fumygate, or ever they come.
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., I. i. You must be bath’d and fumigated first.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 350. With fragrant Thyme the City fumigate.
1836. Lane, Mod. Egyptians, I. v. 171. The Egyptians take great delight in perfumes; and often fumigate their apartments.
1860. Motley, Netherl. (1868), I. v. 259. The Cathedral had been thoroughly fumigated with frankincense.
† c. ‘To medicate or heal by vapours’ (J.). Obs.
1713. Swift, etc., Frenzy of J. Dennis, Wks. 1755, III. I. 142. Fumigate him, I say, this very evening, while he is relieved by an interval.
† 2. To extract in fumes, vaporize. Obs. rare.
1663. [see FUMIGATED ppl. a.]
3. To darken (oak) by the process of fuming. See FUMING vbl. sb. b.
Hence Fumigated ppl. a.
1663. Boyle, Usefuln. Nat. Phil., II. V. vii. 183. I shall only subjoyn this secret, which a friend of mine, practises in preserving the fumigated Juyces of Herbs.
1727. in Bailey, vol. II.
18[?]. Beck’s Jrnl. Dec. Art, II. 346 (Cent. Dict.). A high dado, 8 ft. high, of fumigated oak.
