soak

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
soak/səʊk/

▶verb

• 1 make or become thoroughly wet by immersion in liquid.

• 2 make extremely wet: the rain soaked their hair.

• 3 (soak something up) absorb a liquid.

  ■ expose oneself to or experience something beneficial or enjoyable.

  ■ (soak oneself in) immerse oneself in (a particular experience).

• 4 informal impose heavy charges or taxation on.

• 5 archaic drink heavily.

▶noun

• 1 an act or period of soaking.

• 2 informal a heavy drinker.

• 3 Austral. a hollow where rainwater collects.

– derivatives
soakage noun,
soaked adjective,
soaker noun.

– origin OE socian; rel. to sūcan ‘to suck’.