EssenceMelvin Gussow
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"And her faire deawy eies with kisses deare Shee ofte did bathe" (Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene). "I would these dewy teares were from the ground" (William Shakespeare, Richard III). "Till dewie sleep Oppress'd them" (John Milton, Paradise Lost). "Strengthen me, enlighten me … Thou dewy dawn of memory" (Alfred Tennyson, "Ode to Memory"). Such lines exemplify how the greats have poetically extended the characteristics of dewy grass to misty or crying eyes, as well as to things, like sleep, that affect people gently like forming dew, or to things, like memory, that gradually vanish like a morning's dew. In recent times, the adjective has often been used to describe the luminous complexions of models and starlets—an extension of the "suggestive of dew" meaning. It was not until the 20th century that people began to connect newly formed, undisturbed dew with freshness or purity and, in turn, with innocence and unsophistication.
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Examples of dewy in a Sentence
Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 3 Oct. 2024
But there is also a quiet unease in this dewy new skin.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024
In comparison, Merit’s Flush Balm wins out thanks to its sheer, dewy formula and instant luminosity.
—Humeara Mohamed, refinery29.com, 7 Aug. 2024
Han frequently recommends this relatively affordable chemical sunscreen to friends who want a nourishing, dewy formula that feels weightless and wears well underneath makeup—a.k.a.
—Kathleen Suico, Allure, 13 Apr. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Dewy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dewy. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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