semifluid

American  

[sem-ee-floo-id, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm iˈflu ɪd, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

1. imperfectly fluid; having both fluid and solid characteristics; semiliquid.

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noun

1. a semifluid substance.

semifluid British  

/ ˌsɛmɪˈfluːɪd /

adjective

1. having properties between those of a liquid and those of a solid

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noun

1. a substance that has such properties because of high viscosity

   tar is a semifluid

Other Word Forms

• semifluidity noun

Etymology

Origin of semifluid

First recorded in 1725–35; semi- + fluid

Example Sentences

A few minutes after the food enters, the stomach secretes hydrochloric acid and pepsin which digest the food into a sour semifluid called chyme.

From Time Magazine Archive

With a heavy splash her burden fell from her back and commenced to settle slowly into the semifluid ooze.

From Time Magazine Archive

The sac broke two days later, smearing the bottom of the turtle's dish with semifluid yolk.

From Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz by Legler, John M.

The full force of the peristaltic waves from the small intestine with its onrush of fluid or semifluid contents subjects the cecum to great distention and strain.

From Appendicitis by Tilden, John Henry

Hence the remarkable fact that, although a semifluid mass, the surface of Chat Moss rises above the level of the surrounding country. 

From Lives of the Engineers The Locomotive. George and Robert Stephenson by Smiles, Samuel