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desiccation

[des-i-keyt]

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verb (used with object)

to dry thoroughly; dry up.

to preserve (food) by removing moisture; dehydrate.

verb (used without object)

to become thoroughly dried or dried up.

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Desiccation is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

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

Related forms

des·ic·ca·tion, noun

des·ic·ca·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To desiccation

Example Sentences

Microorganisms are often preserved commercially and in the laboratory using techniques that involve desiccation.

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.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

desiccate (ˈdɛsɪˌkeɪt)

—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
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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).

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

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

des'ic·ca'tive (-tĭv) adj.