deliquesce

[ del-i-kwes ]

See synonyms for deliquesce on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),del·i·quesced, del·i·quesc·ing.

to become liquid by absorbing moisture from the air, as certain salts.
to melt away.

Botany. to form many small divisions or branches.

Origin of deliquesce

First recorded in 1750–60; from Latin dēliquēscere “to become liquid,” equivalent to dē- de- + liquēscere; see liquescent

Words Nearby deliquesce

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use deliquesce in a sentence

And all the substances which this acid unites with crystallize, and do not deliquesce.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry | Joseph Priestley
This feebler cohesive force renders it apt to deliquesce, especially if there be a small excess of the alkali.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines | Andrew Ure
Most of the former are firmer, while the black spored specimens soon deliquesce.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise | M. E. Hard
They then expand quickly, curl up in shreds, and deliquesce into a black inky fluid which stains the ground.
Mushroom Culture | W. Robinson
In this figure one can see the change in color of the gills just at the time when they begin to deliquesce.
Studies of American Fungi. Mushrooms, Edible, Poisonous, etc. | George Francis Atkinson

British Dictionary definitions for deliquesce

deliquesce

/ (ˌdɛlɪˈkwɛs) /

verb(intr)

(esp of certain salts) to dissolve gradually in water absorbed from the air
(esp of certain fungi) to dissolve into liquid, usually at maturity

(of a plant stem) to form many branches

Origin of deliquesce

C18: from Latin dēliquēscere to melt away, become liquid, from de- + liquēscere to melt, from liquēre to be liquid

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

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