supersaturate

[soo-per-sach-uh-reyt]

verb (used with object), su·per·sat·u·rat·ed, su·per·sat·u·rat·ing.

to increase the concentration of (a solution) beyond saturation; saturate abnormally.

Origin of supersaturate

First recorded in 1750–60; super- + saturate

Related formssu·per·sat·u·ra·tion, noun

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

Examples from the Web for supersaturated

Historical Examples of supersaturated

The surface of the water in the supersaturated soil is known as the “water-table” and is exemplified in water standing in a well.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 6
Various
A solution which is saturated with respect to double salt alone will be supersaturated with respect to potassium chloride.
The Phase Rule and Its Applications
Alexander Findlay
The alkaline liquor must be supersaturated with muriatic acid, and evaporated to dryness.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines
Andrew Ure
But the white-collar ranks were teeming, overflowing, supersaturated.
Gladiator
Philip Wylie
Even the amorphous powder of the salt causes again the formation of new watery crystals when put in a supersaturated solution.
The Wonders of Life
Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for supersaturated

supersaturated

adjective

(of a solution) containing more solute than a saturated solution and therefore not in equilibrium

(of a vapour) containing more material than a saturated vapour and therefore not in equilibrium

Derived Formssupersaturation, 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

Word Origin and History for supersaturated

adj.

1794, past participle adjective from supersaturate (1788), from super- + saturate (v.).

Medicine definitions for supersaturated

supersaturate

[sōō′pər-săch′ə-rāt′]

v.

To cause a chemical solution to be more highly concentrated than is normally possible under certain conditions of temperature and pressure.

Related formssu′per•sat′u•ra′tion n.