*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of douse

Probably of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish dunsa (“to plumb down, fall clumsily”), Danish dunse (“to thump”). Compare Old English dwǣsċan (“to extinguish”) and douse below.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A sudden plunging into water.

verb

To plunge suddenly into water; to duck; to immerse. · To fall suddenly into water. · To put out; to extinguish.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish dunsa (“to plumb down, fall clumsily”), Danish dunse (“to thump”). Compare Old English dwǣsċan (“to extinguish”) and douse below.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "dunsa",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to plumb down, fall clumsily"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish dunsa (“to plumb down, fall clumsily”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "dunse",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to thump"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish dunse (“to thump”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "dwǣsċan",
        "t": "to extinguish"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dwǣsċan (“to extinguish”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dunsa",
      "dunsa#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "dunse",
      "dunse#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "dwǣsċan",
      "dwæscan#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A sudden plunging into water."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To plunge suddenly into water; to duck; to immerse.",
        "To fall suddenly into water.",
        "To put out; to extinguish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "ambitransitive",
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "45b71ab9c0b66e14befde39c1c216162392e48b6e99a1324812c00135fc0c5cc",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To strike, beat, or thrash. · To strike or lower in haste; to slacken suddenly

noun

A blow or strike, especially to the face.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English duschen, dusshen (“to rush, fall”), related to Norwegian dusa (“to break, cast down from”), Old Dutch doesen (“to beat, strike”), dialectal German tusen, dusen (“to strike, run against, collide”), Saterland Frisian dössen (“to strike”). Compare doss, dust.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "duschen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English duschen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "dusa",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to break, cast down from"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian dusa (“to break, cast down from”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "odt",
        "2": "doesen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to beat, strike"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Dutch doesen (“to beat, strike”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "tusen"
      },
      "expansion": "German tusen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "dössen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to strike"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian dössen (“to strike”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "duschen",
      "duschen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dusshen",
      "dusshen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dusa",
      "dusa#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "doesen",
      "doesen#Old_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "tusen",
      "tusen#German"
    ],
    [
      "dusen",
      "dusen#German"
    ],
    [
      "dössen",
      "dössen#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "doss",
      "doss#English"
    ],
    [
      "dust",
      "dust#English"
    ]
  ],
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    {
      "pos": "verb",
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        "To strike, beat, or thrash.",
        "To strike or lower in haste; to slacken suddenly"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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        "A blow or strike, especially to the face."
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for douse →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZG91c2U