Standard Lemma guide

bedraggle

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /bɪˈdɹæɡl̩/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B IH0 D R AE1 G AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make (something) wet and limp, especially by dragging it along the ground.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

make wet and dirty, as from rain

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: draggle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: drench, douse, dowse, soak, sop, souse

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1epider. Proto-Indo-European *h1pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Middle English bi- English be- English draggle English bedraggle From be- + draggle.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: изцапвам (izcapvam) — make something wet and limp
  • Bulgarian: намокрям (namokrjam) — make something wet and limp
  • German: durchnässen — make something wet and limp