des·ic·cate

[des-i-keyt] verb, des·ic·cat·ed, des·ic·cat·ing.
verb (used with object)
1.
to dry thoroughly; dry up.
2.
to preserve (food) by removing moisture; dehydrate.
verb (used without object)
3.
to become thoroughly dried or dried up.

Origin:
1565–75; < Latin dēsiccātus dried up, past participle of dēsiccāre, equivalent to dē- de- + siccāre, derivative of siccus dry; see -ate1

des·ic·ca·tion, noun
des·ic·ca·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To desiccation
00:10
Desiccation is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
desiccate (ˈdɛsɪˌkeɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
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
 
[C16: from Latin dēsiccāre to dry up, from de- + siccāre to dry, from siccus dry]
 
desic'cation
 
n
 
'desiccative
 
adj

desiccate (ˈdɛsɪˌkeɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
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
 
[C16: from Latin dēsiccāre to dry up, from de- + siccāre to dry, from siccus dry]
 
desic'cation
 
n
 
'desiccative
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

desiccation
late 15c., from L.L. desiccationem, from L. desiccare, from de- "thoroughly" + siccare "to dry" (see siccative).

desiccate
1570s, from L. desiccat-, pp. stem of desiccare "to make very dry" (see desiccation).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

desiccate des·ic·cate (děs'ĭ-kāt')
v. des·ic·cat·ed, des·ic·cat·ing, des·ic·cates
To dry thoroughly; render free from moisture.

desiccation des·ic·ca·tion (děs'ĭ-kā'shən)
n.
The process of being desiccated.


des'ic·ca'tive (-tĭv) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
desiccate   (děs'ĭ-kāt')  Pronunciation Key 
To remove the moisture from something or dry it thoroughly. ◇ A desiccator is a container that removes moisture from the air within it. ◇ 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The heat and desiccation of sunlight strained the surface of the fossil.
Desiccation by itself imperiled animals forced to come to the remaining sources of water.
Fluids secreted through the skin of ancestral mammals could have protected the eggs from drought and desiccation.
Microorganisms are often preserved commercially and in the laboratory using techniques that involve desiccation.
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