deliquesce en · VERB
Pronunciation
- /ˌdɛlɪˈkwɛs/
- /ˌdɛləˈkwɛs/ weak vowel merger
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Latin dēliquēscō, from dē- + liquēscō (“to liquefy”).
Meanings
-
(intransitive) To melt by absorbing water and disappearing.
When he tried to extract the liver, which should have been firm and meaty, it deliquesced into a bloody sludge, sliding goopily through his fingers.
2020 December, Tim Folger, “North America’s most valuable resource is at risk”, in National Geographic Magazine:The buildings were Victorian ruins; there were never any razor blades; cheap socks deliquesced beneath your feet.
1978 November 19, Martin Amis, “A Stoked‐Up 1976”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:When mystery deliquesced into renewed bitching over the cramped ride, Alfred issued a second moan-bark: longer, louder, and impossible to ignore.
2022, Jennifer Egan, “Case Study: No One Got Hurt”, in The Candy House:But I could find no saltpetre; indeed, no nitrates of any kind. Doubtless they had deliquesced ages ago.
1895 May 29, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “The Palace of Green Porcelain”, in The Time Machine: An Invention, London: William Heinemann, →OCLC, page 110:
-
(intransitive, physical) To become liquid by absorbing water from the atmosphere and dissolving in it.
Some salts will deliquesce when left exposed.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| deliquescing | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| deliquesced | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| deliquesced | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| deliquesces | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Relateds
deliquescent · deliquescence · liquesce
Synonyms
Translations (2)
fi vetistyä (to become liquid and dissolve in water) · fi liueta (to become liquid and dissolve in water)