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imbrue

/ɪmˈbru/
IPA guide

Other forms: imbrued; imbruing; imbrues

To imbrue is to stain or saturate, the way water imbrues your jeans when you walk down the street in a rainstorm.

Use this old-fashioned, literary verb when you need a fancy way to say "dampen" or "permeate." It's also frequently used in literature to specifically refer to things stained with blood: "The battle will only serve to imbrue their swords with blood." The word comes from the Old French embruer, "to moisten."

Definitions of imbrue
  1. verb
    permeate or impregnate
    synonyms: drench
    see moresee less
    type of:
    impregnate, saturate
    infuse or fill completely
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