DESICCATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does desiccation mean? 

• DESICCATION (noun)
  The noun DESICCATION has 2 senses:

1. dryness resulting from the removal of water

2. the process of extracting moisture

  Familiarity information: DESICCATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DESICCATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Dryness resulting from the removal of water

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

dehydration; desiccation

Hypernyms ("desiccation" is a kind of...):

dryness; waterlessness; xerotes (the condition of not containing or being covered by a liquid (especially water))

Derivation:

desiccate (lose water or moisture)

desiccate (remove water from)

desiccate (preserve by removing all water and liquids from)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The process of extracting moisture

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

dehydration; desiccation; drying up; evaporation

Hypernyms ("desiccation" is a kind of...):

extraction (the process of obtaining something from a mixture or compound by chemical or physical or mechanical means)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "desiccation"):

freeze-drying; lyophilisation; lyophilization (a method of drying food or blood plasma or pharmaceuticals or tissue without destroying their physical structure; material is frozen and then warmed in a vacuum so that the ice sublimes)

inspissation (the process of thickening by dehydration)

Holonyms ("desiccation" is a part of...):

plastination (a process involving fixation and dehydration and forced impregnation and hardening of biological tissues; water and lipids are replaced by curable polymers (silicone or epoxy or polyester) that are subsequently hardened)

Derivation:

desiccate (remove water from)

desiccate (preserve by removing all water and liquids from)

 Context examples 

It works by stripping the waxy cuticle of the plant, causing cell disruption, cell leakage, and death by desiccation.

(Nonanoic Acid, NCI Thesaurus)