desiccate
verb
Elinor WylieJ. Platt Bradbury et al.
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
Examples of desiccate in a Sentence
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2024
Scientists have reported feeling shock and loss with each consecutive return to the Great Barrier Reef, as new expanses of coral bleach and desiccate.
—Eve Andrews, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2024
When insects come into direct contact with diatomaceous earth, DE slices through their exoskeletons, causing insects to desiccate and die in only a few hours.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Aug. 2024
The boisterous selection process virtually desiccated the Chicago Stadium.
—Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for desiccate 
Dictionary Entries Near desiccate
Cite this Entry
“Desiccate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desiccate. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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desiccate
verb
Bettyann Hutchisson et al. 
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