From Old English 'deaw,' from PIE *dhewh- (to flow, to vaporize) — the same root produced words for smoke in Latin and Sanskrit.
Tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night, when atmospheric moisture condenses.
From Old English 'dēaw' (dew, moisture), from Proto-Germanic *dawwą (dew), which traces to PIE *dhewh₂- (to flow, to run, to exude, to smoke). The PIE root conveyed a sense of vaporous flow — breath, smoke, and moisture were conceptually unified in early Indo-European thought. Cognates include Old High German 'tou' (dew), Dutch 'dauw' (dew), Old Norse 'dögg' (dew), and Gothic 'daggws' (dew). The same PIE root *dhewh₂- may connect to Sanskrit 'dhūma' (smoke
The PIE root behind 'dew' (*dhewh₂-) also produced the Sanskrit word 'dhūmá' (smoke) and Latin 'fūmus' (smoke), which gave English 'fume,' 'fumigate,' and 'perfume.' The connection is the concept of something rising as vapor — dew is the earth's exhalation of moisture, just as smoke is fire's exhalation. 'Dew' and 'fume' are etymological siblings.