hygroscopic

[ hahy-gruh-skop-ik ]

/ ˌhaɪ grəˈskɒp ɪk /

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adjective

absorbing or attracting moisture from the air.

QUIZ

CUDDLE UP! A COZY QUIZ ON FALL WORDS HAS ARRIVED

If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

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Origin of hygroscopic

First recorded in 1765–75; hygroscope + -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM hygroscopic

hy·gro·scop·i·cal·ly, adverbhy·gro·sco·pic·i·ty

[hahy-gruh-skoh-pis-i-tee], /ˌhaɪ grə skoʊˈpɪs ɪ ti/, nounnon·hy·gro·scop·ic, adjectivenon·hy·gro·scop·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby hygroscopic

hygrometric, hygrometry, hygrophilous, hygrophyte, hygroscope, hygroscopic, hygrostat, hygrothermograph, Hygroton, hying, Hyksos

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use hygroscopic in a sentence

This combination is hygroscopic, anodyne and antiseptic and is easily applied.
Lameness of the Horse|John Victor Lacroix
It should be ignited and cooled out of contact with air just before using, since it is hygroscopic.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
The chaff and awns of all are hygroscopic; that is, are changed by differences caused by variation of moisture in the air.
Seed Dispersal|William J. Beal
In this device, a thin strip of hygroscopic material (as a piece of goose quill) is formed into a spiral coil.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower

Now, these styles are hygroscopic—that is, they are influenced by changes in the condition of the atmosphere as regards moisture.
Field and Woodland Plants|William S. Furneaux

British Dictionary definitions for hygroscopic

hygroscopic

/ (ˌhaɪɡrəˈskɒpɪk) /

adjective

(of a substance) tending to absorb water from the air

Derived forms of hygroscopic

hygroscopically, adverbhygroscopicity (ˌhaɪɡrəskəʊˈpɪsɪtɪ), noun

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

Medical definitions for hygroscopic

hygroscopic

[ hī′grə-skŏp′ĭk ]

adj.

Readily absorbing moisture, as from the atmosphere.

Scientific definitions for hygroscopic

hygroscopic

[ hī′grə-skŏp′ĭk ]

Relating to a compound that easily absorbs moisture from the atmosphere.