Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day – "deliquesce" (October 29, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode of Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day, hosted by Peter Sokolowski, introduces and explores the word "deliquesce." The episode delves into its definitions, scientific and figurative uses, etymology, and features a vivid usage example from literature.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Definition and Pronunciation

• Word: deliquesce

• Spelling: D-E-L-I-Q-U-E-S-C-E

• Part of Speech: Verb

• Primary Meanings:

  • "To dissolve or melt away."
  • Specifically (in reference to some fungi, like mushroom gills): "To become soft or liquid with age or maturity."
  • [00:27] Peter Sokolowski:

    "Deliquesce is a verb. It can mean to dissolve or melt away, or in reference to some fungal structures such as mushroom gills. It can mean to become soft or liquid with age or maturity."

Notable Usage in Literature

• Sentence Example: (from Apollo by Robert McFarlane)

  "He would mold his figures in full in wax, then take a hot knife and like a metaphysical surgeon, cut away triangles, rhomboids, flaps and scraps until only a lattice work was left. These new shape-shifting figures comprised more gaps than joins, bodies in the delicate, arduous process of shedding their skins, scattering into metal, petals being eroded and deliquesced. Things were freshly able to pass through these painstakingly hard to cast bronzes: light, air, sight."

  • [00:27] (Read aloud by Sokolowski)

Etymology

• Origins:
  • Prefix: "de-" (from, down, or away)
  • Root: From Latin verb "liquere" (to be fluid)
  • [00:27] Peter Sokolowski:

    "The word deliquesce comes from the prefix de-, meaning from, down or away, and a form of the Latin verb liquere, meaning to be fluid."

Scientific Context

• Chemistry:
  • Some substances "deliquesce" by absorbing moisture from the air until they dissolve in the absorbed water.
  • [00:27] Sokolowski:

    "In scientific contexts, a substance that deliquesces absorbs moisture from the atmosphere until it dissolves in the absorbed water and forms a solution."

• Biology (Plants & Fungi):
  • As they age, certain plant or fungal structures lose rigidity by 'deliquescing.'

Figurative & Humorous Usage

• The term is sometimes used non-scientifically to suggest melting away due to heat, exhaustion, or idleness.
  • [00:27] Sokolowski:

    “When deliquesce is used in non-scientific contexts, it’s often in a figurative or humorous way to suggest the act of melting away under exhaustion, heat, or idleness, as in teenagers deliquescing in 90 degree temperatures.”

Memorable Quotes

• On definitions:
  • [00:27] Peter Sokolowski:

    "Things that deliquesce, it could be said, turn to mush in more ways than one."

• On figurative usage:
  • [00:27] Peter Sokolowski:

    "As in teenagers deliquescing in 90 degree temperatures."

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:27] – Main word introduction, definition, and etymology:
  Sokolowski spells and defines “deliquesce,” discusses its scientific meaning, reads the McFarlane sentence, and explains figurative use.

Tone and Style

The host speaks with clarity, blending scientific accuracy with approachable, playful language, making both literal and figurative meanings accessible and memorable.

For more word discoveries or definitions, visit merriam-webster.com.