dew

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1. Water droplets condensed from the air, usually at night, onto cool surfaces.
2. Something moist, fresh, pure, or renewing: "The timely dew of sleep/. . . inclines/Our eye-lids" (John Milton).
3. Moisture, as in the form of tears or perspiration, that appears in small drops.

[Middle English deu, from Old English dēaw.]

For more information on dew, visit Britannica.com.

The deposit of liquid water resulting from condensation of atmospheric water vapor to exposed surfaces that cool during the night. Dewfall is noticeable in the early morning after a calm, cool, clear night, usually as beads of liquid water on the outside and upward-facing surfaces of trees, buildings, and so forth. If the ground is moist, some of the condensed water can be evaporated surface moisture. Dew forms when the surface temperature drops sufficiently to saturate air in contact with the surface (that is, when the surface drops to below atmospheric dew-point temperature); when the surface cools to below freezing temperature, frost occurs. See also Dew point; Frost.

Hygroscopic particles on surfaces can act as sites for condensation at temperatures higher than the atmospheric dew-point temperature. Thus, if a surface is not clean, the first deposit of moisture from the air can occur well before the surface cools to dew-point temperature. For some chemicals, such as common salt, condensation can start to occur when the local relative humidity reaches 80%; the humidity must be 100% in the case of a clean surface. Some desert plants exude hygroscopic salts from the interior of leaves which provide preferred sites for condensation and thereby create a supply of water for the plant. See also Humidity.

A type of condensation where water droplets form on the ground, or on objects near the ground. Dew forms when strong night-time terrestrial radiation causes the ground to cool. At the end of a clear night, air in contact with the ground may be chilled to dew point. If this cooling brings about temperatures below 0 °C, frost rather than dew will form.

Tutor's tip: She thought it was her "due" (credit for accomplishments) to "do" (to act; effect) a toast with the "doux" (very sweet) champagne on the lawn covered in morning "dew" (condensed moisture forming drops).

Dansk (Danish)
n. - dug, dugfald
v. tr. - dugge, blive dugvåd

abbr. - radarvarslingssystem

Nederlands (Dutch)
dauw

Français (French)
n. - rosée
v. tr. - humecter de rosée

abbr. - (abrév = distant early warning) système de radars

Deutsch (German)
n. - Tau
v. - betauen

abbr. - (NAm) Frühwarnsystem

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δρόσος, δροσοσταλίδες, πάχνη, υγρασία από σταγονίδια (π.χ. δάκρυα, ιδρώτα)

Italiano (Italian)
rugiada

Português (Portuguese)
n. - orvalho (m)

Русский (Russian)
роса

Español (Spanish)
n. - rocío, humedad
v. tr. - rociar

abbr. - advertencia anticipada remota

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - dagg

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
远程预警, 远距离早期警戒网

露, 露水, 清新, 纯洁, 朝气, 用露水沾湿

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
abbr. - 遠端預警, 遠距離早期警戒網

n. - 露, 露水, 清新, 純潔, 朝氣
v. tr. - 用露水沾濕

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 이슬, 신선함
v. tr. - 이슬로 젖게 하다, 축축하게 하다

abbr. - Distance early Warning(원거리 조기 경계망)

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 露, 玉, しずく

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الندى, شئ ندي أو رطب وبخاصه عندما يكون كقطرات صغيرة مثل الدموع أو العرق‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮טל, (ר"ת) אזהרה מוקדמת מרחוק, טריות‬
v. tr. - ‮לחלח (טל)‬
abbr. - ‮מערכת מכ"ם בצפון אמריקה להבחנה מוקדמת בהתקפת טילים‬

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