desiccated
Americanadjective
adjective
-
dehydrated and powdered
desiccated coconut
-
lacking in spirit or animation
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of desiccated
Explanation
To be desiccated is to be dried out. If you like desiccated fruit, you like dried fruit — such as raisins or dried apricots. Something that's described with the adjective desiccated is extremely dry, or parched. During a drought, the ground becomes cracked and desiccated. Removing moisture and humidity from something is what makes it become desiccated. The Latin root, desiccatus, means "to make very dry."
Vocabulary lists containing desiccated
Into the Wild
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Ender's Game
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This Week In Words: August 22–28, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Finally, Sen. Mitch McConnell’s desiccated remains returned to cast a vote in the Senate.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
There was the chirping of cicadas and the crunch of desiccated pine needles underfoot, but the most remarkable thing about the place was the quiet.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
The glare of the metal painted a mirage in the desiccated swap meet landscape, emitting an orb of heat and undeniable beauty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
"Everything is there. I was stuck here," he told AFP in Karachi, near the well-known Bengali market where he peddles desiccated fish and prawns to make ends meet for $7 to $9 per day.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
The country surrounding Davis Gulch is a desiccated expanse of bald rock and brick-red sand.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
