Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
viscous - 7 dictionary results

vis⋅cous

  [vis-kuhs]
Use viscous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of a glutinous nature or consistency; sticky; thick; adhesive.
2. having the property of viscosity.
Also, viscose.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME < LL viscōsus, equiv. to L visc(um) mistletoe, birdlime (made with mistletoe berries) + -ōsus -ous

Related forms:
vis⋅cous⋅ly, adverb
vis⋅cous⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To viscous
vis·cous   (vĭs'kəs)   
adj.  
  1. Having relatively high resistance to flow.
  2. Viscid; sticky.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin viscōsus; see viscose.]
vis'cous·ly adv., vis'cous·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Viscous

Vis"cous\, a. [L. viscosus. See Viscid.] Adhesive or sticky, and having a ropy or glutinous consistency; viscid; glutinous; clammy; tenacious; as, a viscous juice. -- Vis"cous*ness, n.

Note: There is no well-defined distinction in meaning between viscous and viscid.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

viscous 
1392, from Anglo-Fr. viscous, from L.L. viscosus "sticky," from L. viscum "anything sticky, birdlime made from mistletoe, mistletoe," probably from PIE base *weis- "to melt away, flow" (used of foul or malodorous fluids); see virus.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Main Entry: vis·cous
Pronunciation: 'vis-k&s
Function: adjective
1 : having a glutinous consistency and the quality of sticking oradhering : VISCID
2 : having or characterized by viscosity viscous flow>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

viscous vis·cous (vĭs'kəs)
adj.

  1. Having relatively high resistance to flow.
  2. Viscid.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
viscous   (vĭs'kəs)  Pronunciation Key 
Having relatively high resistance to flow (high viscosity).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see viscous on Thesaurus | Reference