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liq·uid (lĭkwĭd)
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n.
1.
a. The state of matter in which a substance exhibits a characteristic readiness to flow and little or no tendency to disperse, and is amorphous but has a fixed volume and is difficult to compress.
b. Matter or a specific body of matter in this state.
2. Linguistics A consonant articulated without friction and capable of being prolonged like a vowel, such as English l and r.
adj.
1. Of or being a liquid.
2. Having been liquefied, especially:
a. Melted by heating: liquid wax.
b. Condensed by cooling: liquid oxygen.
3. Flowing readily; fluid: added milk to make the batter more liquid.
4. Having a flowing quality without harshness or abrupt breaks: liquid prose; the liquid movements of a ballet dancer.
5. Linguistics Articulated without friction and capable of being prolonged like a vowel.
6. Clear and shining: the liquid brown eyes of a spaniel.
7. Existing as or readily convertible into cash: liquid assets.
[From Middle English, of a liquid, from Old French liquide, from Latin liquidus, from liquēre, to be liquid.]
liquid·ly adv.
liquid·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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