• IPA: /dɹɛntʃ/

drench (plural drenches)

1. A draught administered to an animal.
   • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene iv]:

     Give my roan horse a drench.

2. (obsolete) A drink; a draught; specifically, a potion of medicine poured or forced down the throat; also, a potion that causes purging.

   • A drench of wine has with success been us'd,
     And through a horn the gen'rous juice infus'd,
     Which, timely taken, op'd his closing jaws,
     But, if too late, the patient's death did cause.

   • 1907, Mark Twain, Christian Science and the Book of Mrs. Eddy

     I took up the 'Christian Scientist' book and read half of it, then took a dipperful of drench and read the other half.

drench (drenches, present participle drenching; past and past participle drenched)

1. To soak, to make very wet.

   • Now dam the ditches and the floods restrain; / Their moisture has already drenched the plain.

2. To cause to drink; especially, to dose (e.g. a horse) with medicine by force.

• drenched

• French: tremper
• German: durchnässen
• Italian: bagnare, infradiciare
• Portuguese: ensopar, encharcar
• Russian: промачивать
• Spanish: empapar

drench (plural drenches)

1. (obsolete, UK) A military vassal, mentioned in the Domesday Book.