Decant
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A portion of perfume unofficially sold in a smaller bottle.
"In addition to decants, minis, and used bottles of vintage, perfume nips are a fun way to try out vintage, and they seem to be all over the Internet."
- 1 To pour off (a liquid) gently, so as not to disturb the sediment. transitive
"After washing, the insoluble lime soap is decomposed with hot dilute sulphuric acid. The melted fatty acids thus rise as an oil to the surface, when they are decanted."
- 2 pour out gradually, so as to separate out sediment wordnet
- 3 To pour from one vessel into another. transitive
"to decant wine"
- 4 To flow. archaic, intransitive
"Swincombe, formerly Swan-combe, runs to the north of the ridge, and has the sources of its river in the Fox Tor mires and near Childe's Tomb. It runs north-east, and then abruptly passes north to decant into the West Dart."
- 5 To remove (a clone or other artificially-gestated baby) from its chamber, vat, or artificial womb.
"“We also predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future …” He was going to say “future World controllers,” but correcting himself, said “future Directors of Hatcheries,” instead."
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- 6 To rehouse people while their buildings are being refurbished or rebuilt.
Example
More examples"After washing, the insoluble lime soap is decomposed with hot dilute sulphuric acid. The melted fatty acids thus rise as an oil to the surface, when they are decanted."
Etymology
From French décanter, from Medieval Latin dēcanthāre, from dē- + canthus (“beak of a cup or jug”).
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.