Mist
Etymology
From Old English "mist" ("dimness, fog"), from an ancient Germanic root also tied to words for drizzle and darkening. It has meant a veil of fine moisture since the earliest English.
noun · /MIST/
A thin cloud of tiny water droplets near the ground that limits visibility less than fog does.
What it names
The lightest of the low-cloud family — and anchors the useful mist–fog–haze distinction.
Example
A soft mist hung over the meadow at dawn.
Related idea
Mist and fog are both suspended water droplets — fog is the denser one, with visibility under a kilometre — while haze is dry, made of dust or smoke, not water.