ooze
verbEtymology * (Noun) Middle English wose (“sap”), from Old English wōs (“sap, froth”), from Proto-Germanic *wōsą, from Proto-Indo-European *wóseh₂ (“sap”) (cf. Sanskrit वसा (vásā, “fat”)). Cognate to Middle Low German wose (“scum”), Old High German wasal (“rain”), Old Swedish os, oos, ooss, Swedish os. Compare Old Swedish os, oos, Swedish os, Danish os, Norwegian os (“fumes, vapors, reeking, fug”). * (Verb) Middle English wosen, from Old English wōsan; see above. Compare Swedish osa (“ooze”).
1
Figuratively, Sometimes To be secreted or slowly leak.
- I promised him I would keep silence, but the story gradually oozed out, and the Cronsons left the country.1868, Charlotte Riddell, A Strange Christmas Game:
- She picked up the limp sprout and squeezed her thumb up its tiny stalk. Microscopic grains oozed out. “Why, one sprig of nut grass can ruin a whole yard. Look here. When it comes fall this dries up and the wind blows it all over Maycomb County!” Miss Maudie’s face likened such an occurrence unto an Old Testament pestilence.1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
3 more examples
- Pale slime oozed through all the surfaces; some of it dripped from the ceiling and burned Dennis as badly as the blazing sparks had done a moment before.1988, David Drake, The Sea Hag, Baen Publishing Enterprises, published 2003, →ISBN:
- He was hard to understand because he spoke softly, and his Vermont accent was as thick as maple syrup oozing down a pile of pancakes.1994, Madeleine May Kunin, Living a Political Life, Vintage Books, published 1995, →ISBN:
- Her heart constricted when she saw thick blood oozing from a wide gash in his forehead.2011, Karen Mahoney, The Iron Witch, Flux, →ISBN, page 278:
2
Figuratively To give off a strong sense of (something); to exude.
- […] this room, where misfortune seems to ooze, where speculation lurks in corners, and of which Madame Vauquer inhales the warm, fetid air without being nauseated.1878, Henry James, “Honoré de Balzac”, in French Poets and Novelists, London: Macmillan, II, p. 122:
- "Good servants are so hard to find," Chesna said, oozing arrogance.1989, Robert R. McCammon, The Wolf's Hour, Open Road Integrated Media, published 2011, →ISBN:
3 more examples
- There are no two ways about it: a Berardi dress oozes sex appeal from its very seams.1999, Tamsin Blanchard, Antonio Berardi: Sex and Sensibility, Watson-Guptill Publications, →ISBN, page 16:
- Newcastle had failed to penetrate a typically organised Stoke backline in the opening stages but, once Cabaye and then Cisse breached their defence, Newcastle oozed confidence and controlled the game with a swagger expected of a top-four team.2012 April 21, Jonathan Jurejko, “Newcastle 3-0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport:
- Many of the stations, some of which are request stops, still have their original LSWR buildings. All are now private homes, but it oozes nostalgia (which I like).2025 November 12, 'Mystery Shopper', “Is Devon the cream of the crop?”, in RAIL, number 1048, page 48: