intr.v., -quesced, -quesc·ing, -quesc·es.
- To melt away.
- To disappear as if by melting.
- Chemistry. To dissolve and become liquid by absorbing moisture from the air.
- Botany.
- To branch out into numerous subdivisions that lack a main axis, as the stem of an elm.
- To become fluid or soft on maturing, as certain fungi.
[Latin dēliquēscere : dē-, de- + liquēscere, to melt, inchoative of liquēre, to be liquid.]
deliquescence del'i·ques'cence n.deliquescent del'i·ques'cent adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
