hygroscopic

[ hahy-gruh-skop-ik ]

adjective
  1. absorbing or attracting moisture from the air.

Origin of hygroscopic

1
First recorded in 1765–75; hygroscope + -ic

Other words from hygroscopic

  • hy·gro·scop·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • hy·gro·sco·pic·i·ty [hahy-gruh-skoh-pis-i-tee], /ˌhaɪ grə skoʊˈpɪs ɪ ti/, noun
  • non·hy·gro·scop·ic, adjective
  • non·hy·gro·scop·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby hygroscopic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hygroscopic in a sentence

  • This combination is hygroscopic, anodyne and antiseptic and is easily applied.

    Lameness of the Horse | John Victor Lacroix
  • It should be ignited and cooled out of contact with air just before using, since it is hygroscopic.

    A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. | Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
  • The chaff and awns of all are hygroscopic; that is, are changed by differences caused by variation of moisture in the air.

    Seed Dispersal | William J. Beal
  • In this device, a thin strip of hygroscopic material (as a piece of goose quill) is formed into a spiral coil.

    Physics | Willis Eugene Tower
  • Now, these styles are hygroscopic—that is, they are influenced by changes in the condition of the atmosphere as regards moisture.

    Field and Woodland Plants | William S. Furneaux

British Dictionary definitions for hygroscopic

hygroscopic

/ (ˌhaɪɡrəˈskɒpɪk) /


adjective
  1. (of a substance) tending to absorb water from the air

Derived forms of hygroscopic

  • hygroscopically, adverb
  • hygroscopicity (ˌhaɪɡrəskəʊˈpɪsɪtɪ), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for hygroscopic

hygroscopic

[ hī′grə-skŏpĭk ]


  1. Relating to a compound that easily absorbs moisture from the atmosphere.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.