supersaturate

[ soo-per-sach-uh-reyt ]

/ ˌsu pərˈsætʃ əˌreɪt /

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.

Nearby words

superrace, superrational, superrealism, superregeneration, supersalesman, supersaturate, supersaturated, supersaur, supersaver, superscribe, superscript

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

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

/ (ˌsuːpəˈsætʃəˌreɪtɪd) /

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

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.