OOZE (O. Eng. wdse, cognate with an obsolete waise, mud; cf. O. Nor. veisa, muddy

See also:

• POOL

pool)  , the slime or mud at the bottom of a river, stream, especially of a tidal river or estuary, and so particularly used in deep-sea soundings of the deposit of fine calcareous mud, in which remains of foraminifera are largely present . The word " ooze " is also used as a technical term in tanning, of the liquor in a tan vat in which the hides are steeped, made of a solution of oak bark or other substances which yield tannin . This word is in origin different from " ooze " in its first sense . It appears in O . Eng. as w6s, and meant the juice of plants, fruits, &c .