this post was submitted on 14 May 2025
1752 points (98.6% liked)
me_irl
6023 readers
1591 users here now
All posts need to have the same title: me_irl it is allowed to use an emoji instead of the underscore _
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Wet can also mean consisting of liquid. You wouldn't bat an eye if I said not to touch the wall because the paint is still wet. The inclusion of a clause about something being "able to be dry" is an arbitrary inclusion specifically meant to exclude water itself, not based on how we use the word, but based on a facile desire to force the definition to fit the way you think it should.
I'm gonna do the thing this meme is talking about and just say you're right.
The inclusion of a clause about something being "able to be dry" is an arbitrary inclusion specifically meant to exclude water itself, not based on how we use the word, but based on a facile desire to force the definition to fit the way you think it should.
English is my native language. The phrase "water is wet" is ubiquitous for a reason. I'll happily link to a particular dictionary, if you promise not to accuse me of cherry-picking.
I found this, but it looks like it's referring to Old English, not modern, unless I'm misunderstanding. Do you have another source? Just curious at this point; I always considered the "water is wet" thing to just be a common misunderstanding of the actual meaning of the word.
EDIT: It looks like it's referring to origin, not usage, so I'll concede your point.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wet is my favorite source
Works for me.