adjective
sodden
SOD-un/ˈsɑːdn/
Thoroughly waterlogged.
The sodden coat drips heavily into a puddle beneath its hook.
Etymology
The old verb meaning “boil” survives here in its past participle, originally “boiled.” The sense shifted through “like something boiled a long time” to thoroughly soaked or softened by liquid.
In context
Every semblance of a trench seemed full of dead, sodden, squelchy, swollen bodies.
More examples
- The sodden grass squishes beneath our feet.
- We hang the sodden blanket over the railing to dry.
- Rain leaves the cardboard boxes sodden and sagging.
Forms
sodden
Similar words
- soaked
- Means thoroughly wet without necessarily suggesting heaviness or softness.
- waterlogged
- Usually describes ground or objects made heavy by excess water.