this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2026

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Programmer Humor

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submitted 2 months ago by FoxtrotDeltaTango@sh.itjust.works to c/programmer_humor@programming.dev

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[–] lime@feddit.nu 0 points 2 months ago* (6 children)

nope, that's a star trek-ism. limiting oscillations -> damping. making something wet -> dampening.

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[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 point 2 months ago (5 children)

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dampen verb 3

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[–] lime@feddit.nu 0 points 2 months ago (4 children)

usage notes

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[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 point 2 months ago (3 children)

The usage note pertains to usage 4, not 3

A screenshot of Wiktionary showing the entries for dampen with highlighting on definition 4's proscribed flag and usage

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[–] lime@feddit.nu 1 point 2 months ago (2 children)

sound is not a nonphysical thing. it's a mechanical vibration. besides, we were talking specifically about the present participle "dampening" which is far less ambiguous.

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[–] psud@aussie.zone 0 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

And so dampening is fine

Even if we were using it in the technical sense of would be fine

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[–] lime@feddit.nu 0 points 2 months ago

no, you even highlighted that it is proscribed. "dampening" has only one meaning, which is to make wet. the word is "damping". it doesn't dampen your voice, it damps it.

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