Join free

desiccate

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

desiccate¹

  • /ˈdɛsɪkeɪt/ UK
  • /dɪˈsɪkeɪt/ UK, archaic
  • /ˈdɛsɪkeɪt/ US

Where it comes from

From Latin dēsiccō (“to dry completely, dry up”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), from dē- (“completely, to exhaustion”, a prefix) + siccō (“to dry; to drain, exhaust”), from siccus (“dry”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix). By surface analysis, de- + siccate.

verb desiccates · desiccating · desiccated

  1. transitive To remove moisture from; to dry; (sometimes) to dry to an extreme degree. […] As in Bodies deſsiccate, by Heat, or Age; For in them, when the Natiue Spirit goeth forth, and the Moiſture with it, the Aire with time getteth into the Pores.

    Similar: dehydrate, dry out, parch, exsiccate, exiccate · Opposite: hydrate, moisten, moisturize, wet

  2. transitive To preserve by drying. The nuts are then passed into a double disc machine, and this travelling at a speed of 3,000 revolutions per minute desiccates the coconut.
  3. intransitive, rare To become dry; to dry up. Lately, in France, they stopped the boiling process in the preparation of brown sugar a few degrees before the point of crystallization, which is 243°, or 244°; and then spreading their syrup over their copper pans, placed round a stove or bake house, leave the syrup to desiccate slowly, and to crys

desiccate²

  • /ˈdɛsɪkeɪt/ UK
  • /dɪˈsɪkeɪt/ UK, archaic
  • /ˈdɛsɪkeɪt/ US

Where it comes from

From Latin dēsiccātus (“dried up”), the perfect passive participle of dēsiccō: see above. Equivalent to Latin dēsiccō + -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

adjective more desiccate · most desiccate

  1. Having had moisture removed; dehydrated, desiccated. It [the byssus fungus] is not only capable of propagation by the most minute fragments, however rudely detached, but it also retains the principle of revivification for years together when in a desiccate state.

    Similar: dried

desiccate³

  • /ˈdɛsɪkət/ US, UK

Where it comes from

From the substantivation of the above adjective. Equivalent to Latin dēsiccō + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

noun desiccates

  1. A substance which has been desiccated, that is, had its moisture removed. The Cy dyes are shipped as a desiccate in sealed packs.

Translations

Every language

verb to remove moisture from — see also dry

Españoldesecar
Portuguêsdessecar
Deutschtrocknen, dörren
Românădeshidrata
Русскийвысушивать vysušivatʹ, иссушать issušatʹ

verb to preserve by drying

Españoldisecar
Deutschtrocknen, dörren
Românădeshidrata
Русскийзасушивать zasušivatʹ, засушить zasušitʹ, сушить sušitʹ

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"desiccate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/desiccate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

desiccate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/desiccate

Chicago

"desiccate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/desiccate.

BibTeX
@misc{desiccate_2026,
  title = {desiccate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/desiccate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}