desiccate

[ des-i-keyt ]

verb (used with object)

, des·ic·cat·ed, des·ic·cat·ing.

1. to dry thoroughly; dry up.
2. to preserve (food) by removing moisture; dehydrate.

verb (used without object)

, des·ic·cat·ed, des·ic·cat·ing.

1. to become thoroughly dried or dried up.

desiccate

/ ˈdɛsɪˌkeɪt /

verb

1. tr to remove most of the water from (a substance or material); dehydrate
2. tr to preserve (food) by removing moisture; dry
3. intr to become dried up

desiccate

/ dĕs′ĭ-kāt′ /

1. To remove the moisture from something or dry it thoroughly.
2. ◆ A desiccator is a container that removes moisture from the air within it.
3. ◆ A desiccator contains a desiccant, a substance that traps or absorbs water molecules. Some desiccants include silica gel (silicon dioxide), calcium sulfate (dehydrated gypsum), calcium oxide (calcined lime), synthetic molecular sieves (porous crystalline aluminosilicates), and dried clay.

Derived Forms

• ˈdesiccative, adjective
• ˌdesicˈcation, noun

Other Words From

• desic·cation noun
• desic·cative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of desiccate¹

1565–75; < Latin dēsiccātus dried up, past participle of dēsiccāre, equivalent to dē- de- + siccāre, derivative of siccus dry; -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of desiccate¹

C16: from Latin dēsiccāre to dry up, from de- + siccāre to dry, from siccus dry

Example Sentences

He dedicated scarce water to building up agriculture, helping to desiccate the ancient Persian system of underground aqueduct-like canals known as qanats.

From New York Times

Raining down $4 billion on shareholders right now will almost certainly desiccate Albertsons workers and customers.

From Slate

As Western drought and aridification desiccate soils, shrink mountain snowpack runoff and reduce river flows, irrigating alfalfa for dairy production will become more and more problematic.

From Salon

The gaping holes in the skin would have enabled any gasses and fluids associated with decomposition to seep out of the dinosaur, thus helping the skin to thoroughly dry out, or “desiccate.”

From Scientific American

There's "a critical point", though, when the tree can't replenish the water lost through pores in the leaves and will "literally desiccate" or dry up.

From BBC