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water of constitution

American  

noun

Chemistry.

  1. water present in a molecule that cannot be removed without disrupting the molecule.

Etymology

Origin of water of constitution

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

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There is also a large amount of water combined molecularly with many of the minerals of rocks, in which form it is called water of constitution.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.