sealant

[ see-luhnt ]

noun

1. a substance used for sealing, seal, as sealing wax or adhesives.
2. any of various liquids, paints, chemicals, or soft substances that may be applied to a surface or circulated through a system of pipes or the like, drying to form a hard, watertight coating.
3. Dentistry. any of several transparent synthetic resins applied to the chewing surfaces of molars and premolars in young children and teenagers as a preventive measure against tooth decay in the occlusal pits and fissures.

sealant

/ ˈsiːlənt /

noun

1. any substance, such as wax, used for sealing documents, bottles, etc
2. any of a number of substances used for stopping leaks, waterproofing wood, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of sealant¹

1940–45; seal ¹ + -ant, probably by analogy with coolant

Example Sentences

You must have a sealant painted on your tooth or risk bacteria creating holes in it.

From New York Times

What ensues is nearly two hours of the false starts and second-guessing that romances use as sealant.

From New York Times

In sealant programs, dental professionals visit schools to apply a thin, protective coating to the surface of teeth that hardens and safeguards against decay.

From Science Daily

"Our longitudinal study reaffirms that both sealants and SDF are effective against cavities. SDF is a promising alternative that can support school-based cavity prevention -- not to replace the dental sealant model, but as another option that also prevents and arrests decay," said Ryan Richard Ruff, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology & health promotion at NYU College of Dentistry and the study's first author.

From Science Daily

In another application, they layed down a thin chitosan film on a tough gel that was already placed on an injured pig aorta ex vivo as a wound sealant to increase the overall strength of the bandage, which was exposed to the cyclical mechanical forces of blood pulsing through the vessel.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• adhesive
• mud
• plaster
• sand