ooze

Etymology 1

* (Noun) Middle English wose (“sap”), from Old English wōs (“sap, froth”), from Proto-Germanic *wōsą (cf. Middle Low German wose (“scum”), Old High German wasal (“rain”), Old Swedish os, oos), from Proto-Indo-European *wóseh₂ (“sap”) (cf. Sanskrit वसा (vásā, “fat”)). * (Verb) Middle English wosen, from Old English wōsan; see above.

noun

1. Tanning liquor, an aqueous extract of vegetable matter (tanbark, sumac, etc.) in a tanning vat used to tan leather.
2. An oozing, gentle flowing, or seepage, as of water through sand or earth.
3. (obsolete) Secretion, humour.
4. (obsolete) Juice, sap.

verb

1. (intransitive, sometimes figurative) To be secreted or slowly leak.
   I promised him I would keep silence, but the story gradually oozed out, and the Cronsons left the country. 1868, Charlotte Riddell, A Strange Christmas Game
   Pale slime oozed through all the surfaces; some of it dripped from the ceiling and burned Dennis as badly as the blazing sparks had done a moment before. 1988, David Drake, The Sea Hag, Baen Publishing Enterprises, published 2003
   He was hard to understand because he spoke softly, and his Vermont accent was as thick as maple syrup oozing down a pile of pancakes. 1994, Madeleine May Kunin, Living a Political Life, Vintage Books, published 1995
   Her heart constricted when she saw thick blood oozing from a wide gash in his forehead. 2011, Karen Mahoney, The Iron Witch, Flux, page 278
2. (transitive, figurative) To give off a strong sense of (something); to exude.
   "Good servants are so hard to find," Chesna said, oozing arrogance. 1989, Robert R. McCammon, The Wolf's Hour, Open Road Integrated Media, published 2011
   There are no two ways about it: a Berardi dress oozes sex appeal from its very seams. 1999, Tamsin Blanchard, Antonio Berardi: Sex and Sensibility, Watson-Guptill Publications, page 16
   Newcastle had failed to penetrate a typically organised Stoke backline in the opening stages but, once Cabaye and then Cisse breached their defence, Newcastle oozed confidence and controlled the game with a swagger expected of a top-four team. April 21, 2012, Jonathan Jurejko, “Newcastle 3-0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport

Etymology 2

From Middle English wose, from Old English wāse (“mud, mire”), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *waisǭ (compare Dutch waas (“haze, mist; bloom”), (obsolete) German Wasen (“turf, sod”), Old Norse veisa (“slime, stagnant pool”)), from Proto-Indo-European *weys- (“to flow”) (compare Sanskrit विष्यति (viṣyati, “flow, let loose”)). More at virus.

noun

1. Soft mud, slime, or shells especially in the bed of a river or estuary.
2. (oceanography) A pelagic marine sediment containing a significant amount of the microscopic remains of either calcareous or siliceous planktonic debris organisms.
3. A piece of soft, wet, pliable ground.