Word of the Day: Shower

shower

show-er / shou-ər except shō-ər for noun definition 7

noun

1. a brief period of precipitation

He sendeth sun, he sendeth shower,

Alike they’re needed to the flower;

And joys and tears alike are sent

To give the soul its nourishment.

Sarah Fuller Flower Adams, 1805 – 1848

2. a sudden, downward flow of objects, such as tears, sparks, etc.

If the boy have not a woman’s gift

To rain a shower of commanded tears,

An onion will do well for such a shift.

From “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616

3. an outpouring

To a shower of gold most things are penetrable.

Thomas Carlyle, 1795 – 1881

4. a party held to honor and provide gifts to someone in celebration of an upcoming event

In the Mexican culture, we never miss a baptism, a birthday, a baby shower, a wedding shower, a wedding.

Eva Longoria, 1975 –

5. a bath in which a person stands and is sprayed with water from an overhead nozzle

Just as you wouldn’t leave the house without taking a shower, you shouldn’t start the day without at least 10 minutes of sacred practice: prayer, meditation, inspirational reading.

Marianne Williamson, 1952 –

6. a stall, tub, etc. in which a person stands to bathe

Churches are good for prayer, but so are garages and cars and mountains and showers and dance floors.

From “Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith” by Anne Lamott, 1954 –

7. one who displays or exhibits

I come from a family of professional dog-showers, one step above carnies, but I didn’t want to join the family business.

Rebel Wilson, 1986 –

verb

1. to bathe standing up, with water spraying from an overhead fixture

The world was divided into two groups: those who showered at night, and those who showered in the morning.

From “Mr. Perfect” by Linda Howard, 1950 –

2. to give plentifully

But I also like to shower my parents with presents.

Eva Herzigova, 1973 –

3. to present or confer lavishly, freely or generously

God showers upon us his gifts-more than enough for all;

But like swine scrambling for food, we tread them in the mire, and rend each other.

Henry George, 1839 – 1897

4. to toss, spray or sprinkle with

From morning until evening they showered his troops with arrows.

1 Maccabees 10:80 (NABR)

5. to fall downward in abundant quantity

Autumn leaves shower like gold, like rainbows, as the winds of change begin to blow, signaling the later days of autumn.

Dan Millman, 1946 –