12.15.2011

DAMPED / DAMPENED

When the vibration of a wheel is reduced, it is damped, but when you drive through a puddle your tire is dampened. “Dampened” always has to do with wetting, if only metaphorically: “The announcement that Bob’s parents were staying home after all dampened the spirits of the party-goers.” The parents are being a wet blanket.
Source: Common Errors in English