The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word MOISTURE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
M
O
I
S
T
U
R
E
More clues leading to the result MOISTURE
- Larger part of river includes one form of water
- Wet suit off, with further clothing
- Suit damaged in extra small amounts of liquid
- Spray with greater frequency to cover rumpled suit
- Wet suit bafflingly punctures again
- Wet suit more bedraggled
- Water spoiled suit with further clothing
- Wetness of silk fabric, about a bolt? Not quite
- Tourism ruined by English rain?
- Dampness damaged tourism — last thing Margate needs
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Dampness" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case dampness = moisture.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does MOISTURE mean?
MOISTURE noun- That which moistens or makes damp or wet; exuding fluid; liquid in small quantity.
- The state of being moist.
- Skin moisture noted as dry, moist, clammy, or diaphoretic as part of the skin signs assessment.