viscosity
vis-KOSS-ih-tee
/vɪˈskɒs.ə.ti/
The state of being thick, sticky, and semi-fluid in consistency, due to internal friction.
In baking, it describes the 'flow' of batters, syrups, and glazes.
The story behind the word. The word 'viscosity' comes from the Latin 'viscum', meaning 'mistletoe'. Mistletoe berries were used to make 'birdlime', a thick, sticky glue used to catch birds. The word eventually came to describe any fluid with that sticky, slow-moving quality.
Word relationships
- thickness: A simpler, less precise term for the same property.
- tenacity: Refers more to how well a substance sticks to itself rather than its flow.
- fluidity: The ease with which a substance flows; the opposite of viscosity.
Commonly confused with
- density: Density is mass per volume; viscosity is resistance to flow.
Word family
- viscous (adjective): Thick and sticky; having high viscosity.
Collocations
- high viscosity
- measure viscosity
- viscosity of the batter
Example sentences
- "The viscosity of the sugar syrup increases as the water evaporates during the boiling process." A technical manual on syrup production.
- "The batter reached the ideal viscosity, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without running off." Describing the perfect batter.
Memory hook
Think of 'Viscous' as 'Sticky-us'. Viscosity: the 'stickiness' of a liquid.
When not to use
Avoid using it to describe solid objects; it only applies to fluids or semi-fluids.
Fun facts
- Honey has a viscosity about 10,000 times higher than that of water.
- Pitch is so viscous that it appears solid, but it actually flows over decades.
Related words
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