desiccate

verb

des·​ic·​cate ˈde-si-ˌkāt 

desiccated; desiccating

transitive verb

1

: to dry up

the desiccated land

2

: to preserve (a food) by drying : dehydrate

desiccated coconut

3

: to drain of emotional or intellectual vitality

… a charming little romance … not desiccated and compressed within the pages of a book

—Elinor Wylie

intransitive verb

: to become dried up

leaves desiccating in winter

Lake Valencia has been … steadily desiccating for more than 200 years.

—J. Platt Bradbury et al.

desiccative

ˈde-si-ˌkā-tiv 

adjective

desiccator

ˈde-si-ˌkā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

Raisins are desiccated grapes; they're also dehydrated grapes. And yet, a close look at the etymologies of desiccate and dehydrate raises a tangly question. In Latin siccus means "dry," whereas the Greek stem hydr- means "water." So how could it be that desiccate and dehydrate are synonyms? The answer is in the multiple identities of the prefix de-. It may look like the same prefix, but the de- in desiccate means "completely, thoroughly," as in despoil ("to spoil utterly") or denude ("to strip completely bare"). The de- in dehydrate, on the other hand, means "remove," the same as it does in defoliate ("to strip of leaves") or in deice ("to rid of ice").

Synonyms

• castrate
• damp
• dampen
• deaden
• dehydrate
• devitalize
• enervate
• geld
• lobotomize
• petrify

Example Sentences

that historian's dryasdust prose desiccates what is actually an exciting period in European history

add a cup of desiccated coconut to the mix

Recent Examples on the Web

This will protect the flower buds from the strong winds which can desiccate them. —Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Jan. 2023

Rainy winters and springs encourage the growth of plants, which desiccate in the dry summer and turn into fuel. —Wired, 21 July 2022

Edward is in the grip of a grotesque malady that causes his flesh to desiccate and slough away. —Sam Sacks, WSJ, 17 June 2022

But the winds also desiccate vegetation and create dangerous wildfire conditions. —Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2021

At shallow depths, the eggs would cook and desiccate. —Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 25 June 2021

Comparatively, the cremated young adult was burned before their body had begun to desiccate and decompose. —Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2020

Here, volcanic lakes, acid pools, desiccated basins, and subterranean caverns are no match for biology. —Nadia Drake, National Geographic, 26 Aug. 2019

These efforts to resurrect pieces of the delta’s desiccated ecosystems face major challenges, including limited funds, scarce water supplies, and the hotter, drier conditions brought on by climate change. —Ian James, AZCentral.com, 19 Apr. 2020

See More

Word History

Etymology

Latin desiccatus, past participle of desiccare to dry up, from de- + siccare to dry, from siccus dry — more at sack

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Medical Definition

desiccate

verb

des·​ic·​cate ˈdes-i-ˌkāt 

desiccated; desiccating

transitive verb

1

: to dry up or cause to dry up : deprive or exhaust of moisture

especially : to dry thoroughly

uses radio frequencies of 100,000 Hz to 10,000,000 Hz to cut, coagulate, and desiccate tissue

—Bettyann Hutchisson et al.

2

: to preserve a food by drying : dehydrate

desiccated coconut

intransitive verb

: to become dried up : undergo a desiccating process