desiccate

desiccate · verb¹

From Latin dēsiccō (“to dry completely, dry up”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), from dē- (“completely, to exhaustion”, a prefix) + siccō (“to dry; to drain, exhaust”), from siccus (“dry”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix). By surface analysis, de- + siccate.

desiccate · adjective²

1. Latin · derived fromdēsiccātus“dried up”
2. English todaydesiccate

From Latin dēsiccātus (“dried up”), the perfect passive participle of dēsiccō: see above. Equivalent to Latin dēsiccō + -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

desiccate · noun³

From the substantivation of the above adjective. Equivalent to Latin dēsiccō + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

First known use, by meaning

• from late 16th c. To remove moisture from; to dry; (sometimes) to dry to an extreme degree.
• from late 16th c. To preserve by drying.