mist
UK[mɪst]US[mɪst]
n
A cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface, limiting visibility but to a lesser degree than fog.
v
To cover or become covered with mist.
Etymology
The word 'mist' descends directly from the Old English mist, which referred to atmospheric obscurity. It is part of a widespread family of Germanic words, related to Dutch mist and Icelandic mistur, all denoting fine spray or haze. These likely trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root meigh-, meaning "to urinate," a metaphorical extension based on the idea of a fine spray or drizzle. Over centuries, the word shed its coarse ancestral connotation, specializing in the modern, neutral sense of a light cloud of water droplets that blurs vision.
Analysis
This is a simplex word of Germanic origin. The root is the Old English noun mist, meaning "dimness, mist, darkness." It functions as a complete lexical unit.
Examples
A thick mist rolled in from the sea, shrouding the coastline.
Her glasses misted up as she stepped from the cold air into the warm cafe.
The distant hills were just a blue blur in the morning mist.