viscous

[vis-kuh s]

See more synonyms for viscous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of a glutinous nature or consistency; sticky; thick; adhesive.
having the property of viscosity.

Origin of viscous

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin viscōsus, equivalent to Latin visc(um) mistletoe, birdlime (made with mistletoe berries) + -ōsus -ous

Related formsvis·cous·ly, adverbvis·cous·ness, nounhy·per·vis·cous, adjectivepseu·do·vis·cous, adjective

Can be confusedvicious viscose viscous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for viscous

slimy, gooey, syrupy, adhesive, clammy, gelatinous, stiff, tenacious, thick, tough, glutinous, mucilaginous, viscid, gluey, ropy

Examples from the Web for viscous

Contemporary Examples of viscous

What The Great Beauty and Fellini share is the Roman light—3,000 years of viscous sun.
The New Fellini: Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘The Great Beauty’
Jimmy So
November 18, 2013
Black gays, in turn, are accusing their white gay peers of viscous racism.
Gays and Blacks (and Gay Blacks) Go to War
The Daily Beast
November 6, 2008

Historical Examples of viscous

The man and woman were chopping at the viscous, gruesome head.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science September 1930
Various
All about him the straw was clotted with brown, viscous patches of blood.
Bardelys the Magnificent
Rafael Sabatini
Matt nodded, and pointed to the viscous deposit in the dome of the bell.
The Raid on the Termites
Paul Ernst
The same is true of all viscous substances, as starch and glue; and so of oil.
Farm drainage
Henry Flagg French
His right eye had suffered damage, and the pupil of it was white and viscous.
The History of Sir Richard Calmady
Lucas Malet

British Dictionary definitions for viscous

viscous

viscose

adjective

(of liquids) thick and sticky; viscid
having or involving viscosity

Derived Formsviscously, adverbviscousness, noun

Word Origin for viscous

C14: from Late Latin viscōsus; see viscose

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 viscous

adj.

late 14c., from Anglo-French viscous, from Late Latin viscosus "sticky," from Latin viscum "anything sticky, birdlime made from mistletoe, mistletoe," probably from PIE root *weis- "to melt away, flow" (used of foul or malodorous fluids); see virus.

viscous in Medicine