desiccate

verb

des·ic·cate ˈde-si-ˌkāt

desiccated; desiccating

Synonyms of desiccate next

transitive verb

: to dry up

the desiccated land

: to preserve (a food) by drying : dehydrate

desiccated coconut

: to drain of emotional or intellectual vitality

… a charming little romance … not desiccated and compressed within the pages of a book—

Elinor Wylie

intransitive verb

: to become dried up

leaves desiccating in winter

Lake Valencia has been … steadily desiccating for more than 200 years.—

J. Platt Bradbury et al.

desiccative

ˈde-si-ˌkā-tiv

adjective

desiccator

ˈde-si-ˌkā-tər

noun

Did you know?

Raisins are desiccated grapes; they're also dehydrated grapes. And yet, a close look at the etymologies of desiccate and dehydrate raises a tangly question. In Latin siccus means "dry," whereas the Greek stem hydr- means "water." So how could it be that desiccate and dehydrate are synonyms? The answer is in the multiple identities of the prefix de-. It may look like the same prefix, but the de- in desiccate means "completely, thoroughly," as in despoil ("to spoil utterly") or denude ("to strip completely bare"). The de- in dehydrate, on the other hand, means "remove," the same as it does in defoliate ("to strip of leaves") or in deice ("to rid of ice").

Examples of desiccate in a Sentence

that historian's dryasdust prose desiccates what is actually an exciting period in European history add a cup of desiccated coconut to the mix

Recent Examples on the Web

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From the very first frame of a new episode of Hot Ones Versus, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor is gasping for breath from behind his trademark mask, which looks like either a desiccating corpse or a wasp’s nest with dreadlocks. —

Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2024 Scientists have reported feeling shock and loss with each consecutive return to the Great Barrier Reef, as new expanses of coral bleach and desiccate. —

Eve Andrews, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2024 When insects come into direct contact with diatomaceous earth, DE slices through their exoskeletons, causing insects to desiccate and die in only a few hours. —

Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Aug. 2024 The boisterous selection process virtually desiccated the Chicago Stadium. —

Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for desiccate