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Soak vs Drench - What's the difference?

soak | drench |

As verbs the difference between soak and drench

is that soak is to be saturated with liquid by being immersed in it while drench is to soak, to make very wet.

As nouns the difference between soak and drench

is that soak is an immersion in water etc while drench is a draught administered to an animal.

soak

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • (label) To be saturated with liquid by being immersed in it.
  • * Bible, (w) xxiv. 7
  • Their land shall be soaked with blood.
  • (label) To immerse in liquid to the point of saturation or thorough permeation.
  • (label) To penetrate or permeate by saturation.
  • * Sir (Walter Scott) (1771-1832)
  • The rivulet beneath soaked its way obscurely through wreaths of snow.
  • (label) To allow (especially a liquid) to be absorbed; to take in, receive. (usually + up )
  • * {{quote-book, year=1927, author= F. E. Penny
  • , chapter=4, title= Pulling the Strings , passage=The case was that of a murder. It had an element of mystery about it, however, which was puzzling the authorities. A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff.}}
  • To drink intemperately or gluttonously.
  • (label) To heat a metal before shaping it.
  • To hold a kiln at a particular temperature for a given period of time.
  • (label) To absorb; to drain.
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • An immersion in water etc.
  • * "After the climb, I had a nice long soak in a bath."
  • (slang, British) A drunkard.
  • (Australia) A low-lying depression that fills with water after rain.
  • * 1985 , (Peter Carey), Illywhacker , Faber & Faber 2003, p. 38:
  • I set off early to walk along the Melbourne Road where, one of the punters had told me, there was a soak with plenty of frogs in it.

    Anagrams

    * * * English ergative verbs

    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.
  • Etymology 2

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

    Noun

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