dehydrate

American  

[dee-hahy-dreyt] / diˈhaɪ dreɪt /

verb (used with object)

dehydrated, dehydrating

1. to deprive (a chemical compound) of water or the elements of water.

2. to free (fruit, vegetables, etc.) from moisture for preservation; dry.

3. to remove water from (the body or a tissue).

4. to deprive of spirit, force, or meaning; render less interesting or effectual.

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verb (used without object)

dehydrated, dehydrating

1. to lose water or moisture.

   Milk dehydrates easily.

dehydrate British  

/ ˌdiːhaɪˈdreɪt, diːˈhaɪdreɪt /

verb

1. to lose or cause to lose water; make or become anhydrous

2. to lose or cause to lose hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms in the proportions in which they occur in water, as in a chemical reaction

3. to lose or deprive of water, as the body or tissues

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Related Words

See evaporate.

Other Word Forms

• dehydration
  noun
• dehydrator
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dehydrate

First recorded in 1850–55; de- + hydrate

Explanation

To make a raisin, you dehydrate a grape. To dehydrate is to remove all of the water from, or to dry up. When you exercise a lot, it's good to drink water so that your body doesn't dehydrate. Signs of dehydration in a person? Dry mouth, exhaustion, dark urine, the chills, and head rushes. If you experience these, get a drink quick! Signs of dehydration in a fruit? Wrinkled skin and extra sweetness. Yum!

Example Sentences

Dehydrate the sugared grapes in the oven for 2 hours or in the dehydrator for 4 hours.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2011

Dehydrate, de-hī′drāt, v.t. to deprive of water, chemically.—v.i. to lose water.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Related Words

• dry out