desiccate

[des-i-keyt]

verb (used with object)

desiccated, desiccating 

1. to dry thoroughly; dry up.

2. to preserve (food) by removing moisture; dehydrate.

verb (used without object)

desiccated, desiccating 

1. to become thoroughly dried or dried up.

desiccate

/ ˈdɛsɪˌkeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to remove most of the water from (a substance or material); dehydrate

2. (tr) to preserve (food) by removing moisture; dry

3. (intr) to become dried up

desiccate

1. To remove the moisture from something or dry it thoroughly.

2. ◆ A desiccator is a container that removes moisture from the air within it.

3. ◆ A desiccator contains a desiccant, a substance that traps or absorbs water molecules. Some desiccants include silica gel (silicon dioxide), calcium sulfate (dehydrated gypsum), calcium oxide (calcined lime), synthetic molecular sieves (porous crystalline aluminosilicates), and dried clay.

Other Word Forms

• desiccation noun
• desiccative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of desiccate¹

1565–75; < Latin dēsiccātus dried up, past participle of dēsiccāre, equivalent to dē- de- + siccāre, derivative of siccus dry; -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of desiccate¹

C16: from Latin dēsiccāre to dry up, from _de- + siccāre to dry, from siccus dry

Example Sentences

Oregon’s Lake Abert has repeatedly dried up, and biologists have found that when it’s desiccated, more phalaropes fly farther south to Mono Lake.

From Los Angeles Times

Prof Rein's research finds that, after ten consecutive days of very dry weather, vegetation becomes so desiccated across wide areas that the likelihood of multiple fires igniting simultaneously rises sharply.

From BBC

Owens Lake was left desiccated after Los Angeles began tapping the eastern Sierra watershed for its own needs more than a century ago.

From Los Angeles Times

Extreme heat in the summer and fall desiccated shrubs and grasses on hillsides, they said, enabling those fuels to burn more intensely once ignited.

From Los Angeles Times

For others, they’ll begin the expensive and isolating work of reestablishing in a desiccated community.

From Los Angeles Times