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Deluge vs Drench - What's the difference?

deluge | drench | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between deluge and drench

is that deluge is a great flood or rain while drench is a draught administered to an animal.

As verbs the difference between deluge and drench

is that deluge is to flood with water while drench is to soak, to make very wet.

As a proper noun Deluge

is the Biblical flood during the time of Noah.

deluge

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A great flood or rain.
    • The deluge continued for hours, drenching the land and slowing traffic to a halt.
  • An overwhelming amount of something; anything that overwhelms or causes great destruction.
    • The rock concert was a deluge of sound.
  • * Milton
    • A fiery deluge fed / With ever-burning sulphur unconsumed.
  • * Lowell
    • The little bird sits at his door in the sun, / Atilt like a blossom among the leaves, / And lets his illumined being o'errun / With the deluge of summer it receives.
  • (Military engineering) A damage control system on navy warships which is activated by excessive temperature within the Vertical Launching System.
  • * NAVEDTRA 14324A
    • In the event of a restrained firing or canister overtemperature condition, the deluge system sprays cooling water within the canister until the overtemperature condition no longer exists.

    Verb

  • To flood with water.
  • To overwhelm.
    • After the announcement, they were deluged with requests for more information.

    References

    * 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology , Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192830988

    See also

    * inundate ----

    drench

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) drenchen, from (etyl) . More at drink.

    Noun

    (es)
  • A draught administered to an animal.
  • (obsolete) A drink; a draught; specifically, a potion of medicine poured or forced down the throat; also, a potion that causes purging.
  • * Dryden
    • A drench of wine.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Give my roan horse a drench .

    Verb

  • To soak, to make very wet.
  • * Dryden
    • Now dam the ditches and the floods restrain; / Their moisture has already drenched the plain.
  • To cause to drink; especially, to dose (e.g. a horse) with medicine by force.
    • Related terms
    * drenched

    Etymology 2

    Anglo-Saxon dreng warrior, soldier, akin to Icelandic drengr.

    Noun

    (es)
  • (obsolete, UK) A military vassal, mentioned in the Domesday Book.
    • (Burrill)