Main Entry:

vis·cos·i·ty

Pronunciation:

\vis-ˈkä-sə-tē\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural vis·cos·i·ties

Etymology:

Middle English viscosite, from Anglo-French viscosité, from Medieval Latin viscositat-, viscositas, from Late Latin viscosus viscous

Date:

14th century

1 : the quality or state of being viscous 2 : the property of resistance to flow in a fluid or semifluid 3 : the ratio of the tangential frictional force per unit area to the velocity gradient perpendicular to the direction of flow of a liquid —called also coefficient of viscosity