viscous
/ˈvɪs.kəs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.94 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of or pertaining to viscosity.
Example Sentences
- "[…] The flesh [of the mistletoe berry] is sticky, and forms strings and ribbons between my thumb and forefinger. For the mistletoe, this viscous goop – and by the way, viscous comes to English from viscum – is crucial. The stickiness means that, after eating the berries, birds often regurgitate the seeds and then wipe their bills on twigs – leading to the seeds' getting glued to the tree, where they can germinate and begin the cycle anew."
- "viscous coefficient"
Etymology
First attested in 1605. Borrowed from Middle French visqueux and Late Latin viscōsus, from Latin viscum (“birdlime”). Doublet of viscose.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Inflected Forms
more viscous (comparative)
most viscous (superlative)