viscous

[ vis-kuhs ]
See synonyms for viscous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of a glutinous nature or consistency; sticky; thick; adhesive.

  2. having the property of viscosity.

Origin of viscous

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin viscōsus, equivalent to Latin visc(um) mistletoe, birdlime (made with mistletoe berries) + -ōsus-ous

Other words from viscous

  • vis·cous·ly, adverb
  • vis·cous·ness, noun
  • hy·per·vis·cous, adjective
  • pseu·do·vis·cous, adjective

Words that may be confused with viscous

Words Nearby viscous

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How to use viscous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for viscous

viscous

viscose

/ (ˈvɪskəs) /


adjective
  1. (of liquids) thick and sticky; viscid

  2. having or involving viscosity

Origin of viscous

1
C14: from Late Latin viscōsus; see viscose

Derived forms of viscous

  • viscously, adverb
  • viscousness, 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 viscous

viscous

[ vĭskəs ]


  1. Having relatively high resistance to flow (high viscosity).

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