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

Many of the lemon trees remain, as if untouched; others were wiped out completely, the hills where they stood blackened and desiccated.

From Los Angeles Times

Remnants of desiccated hay crunched underfoot, and the sun-baked soil was fragmented with deep cracks.

From Los Angeles Times

In today’s desiccated media landscape, it’s hard to imagine that Long Beach once supported two daily newspapers — the afternoon Press-Telegram and the morning Independent.

From Los Angeles Times

His hands and feet became “desiccated, clenched and drying,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

From Seattle Times

He says they were "like plastic...you could almost knock them...they were black, desiccating, clenched".

From BBC