mist

mist [mist]

n.

[ME < OE, darkness, mist, akin to ON mistr, dark weather < IE base * meigh-, to blink, be dim > Sans * mēghá-, cloud]

1. a large mass of water vapor at or just above the earth's surface resembling a fog, but less dense

2. a thin film of moisture condensed on a surface in droplets

3.

a) a cloud of dust, smoke, gas, etc.

b) a fine spray, as of medication or perfume

4. a cloudiness or film before the eyes, dimming or blurring the vision [through a mist of tears]

5. anything that dims or obscures the understanding, memory, etc.

vt.

1. to make misty; dim or obscure as with a mist

2. to spray the leaves of (a house plant) with water from a mister

vi.

to be or become misty

SYN.- MIST applies to a visible atmospheric vapor of rather fine density, that blurs the vision; HAZE¹ suggests a thin dispersion of smoke, dust, etc. that makes objects indistinct; FOG¹ suggests a greater density of moisture particles than MIST, sometimes suggesting a thickness impenetrable by the vision; SMOG is applied to a mixture of fog and smoke of a kind that sometimes appears in industrial centers. The first three terms are also used figuratively [lost in the mists of the past, a troublesome haze of confusion, in a fog of doubt ]