desiccate

American  

[des-i-keyt] / ˈdɛs ɪˌkeɪt /

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 British  

/ 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 Scientific  

/ dĕs′ĭ-kāt′ /

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

Etymology

Origin of desiccate

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

Example Sentences

He was “working with the new FDA,” he said in a LinkedIn post in November, to remove from the market desiccated thyroid extracts, a product critical to another company led by Tang, American Laboratories Holdings.

From The Wall Street Journal

Today, tribal members say L.A.’s extensive use of water has transformed the landscape, desiccating many springs and meadows, killing native grasses and altering the ecosystem.

From Los Angeles Times

His latest book’s rather desiccated title led me to believe it would mount some dry defense of religion in general.

From The Wall Street Journal

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