mucilage

[ myoo-suh-lij ]

/ ˈmyu sə lɪdʒ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mucilage ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of various, usually liquid, preparations of gum, glue, or the like, used as an adhesive.

any of various gummy secretions or gelatinous substances present in plants.

RELATED WORDS

adhesive, glue, paste, gum, substance

Nearby words

Origin of mucilage

1350–1400; Middle English muscilage < Middle French musillage < Late Latin mūcilāgō a musty juice, akin to mūcēre to be musty. See mucor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mucilage

The quantity of mucilage which it contains precludes it from the use of dyers; but, as it furnishes nearly 50 per cent.
The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom|P. L. Simmonds
Like most plants of the order it abounds in mucilage, and hence forms a favourite domestic remedy for colds and sore throats.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 4|Various
He wrote it himself on post office paper, and when he had covered one piece, he called for mucilage with which to add a second.
Walt Whitman in Mickle Street|Elizabeth Leavitt Keller
He had just moistened the mucilage when there came a ring at the bell.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

From the wardrobe of the actress that she was, she snatched at an oleaginous mask and with the mucilage of it smiled at him.
The Paliser case|Edgar Saltus

British Dictionary definitions for mucilage

mucilage

/ (ˈmjuːsɪlɪdʒ) /

noun

a sticky preparation, such as gum or glue, used as an adhesive

a complex glutinous carbohydrate secreted by certain plants

Derived Formsmucilaginous (ˌmjuːsɪˈlædʒɪnəs), adjectivemucilaginously, adverbmucilaginousness, noun

Word Origin for mucilage

C14: via Old French from Late Latin mūcilāgo mouldy juice; see mucid

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

Word Origin and History for mucilage

mucilage

late 14c., mussillage, "viscous substance found in vegetable material," from Old French mucilage (14c.), from Late Latin mucilago "musty or moldy juice" (4c.), from Latin mucere "be musty or moldy," from mucus "mucus" (see mucus). Meaning "adhesive" is first attested 1859.

Medicine definitions for mucilage

mucilage

[ myōō′sə-lĭj ]

n.

A viscid preparation consisting of a solution of a plant-based gum in water and used in pharmacy as an excipient.