Souse
/saʊs/noun
To soak or steep in liquid; also, a pickled or salted meat dish, especially one preserved in spiced brine.
Did you know?The verb *souse* is likely related to the idea of plunging or steeping, and its preservation sense helped it become a vivid word for being thoroughly soaked long before modern slang took over.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
sousen
“To steep, drench, or pickle in liquid.”
14th–15th Century
Anglo-French
suser / souser
“To soak or drench.”
Late Latin
Latin
subsalare?
“Uncertain; the exact origin is disputed, but the word is associated with salting or pickling.”
Modern English
English
souse
“To soak, drench, or pickle; also a preserved meat dish and, in slang, a drunken person.”