viscosity
viss-KOSS-ih-tee
/vɪˈskɒs.ə.ti/
The state of being thick, sticky, and semi-fluid in consistency, due to internal friction.
In culinary terms, it describes how a liquid flows—honey has high viscosity, while water has low viscosity.
The story behind the word. The word comes from 'viscum', the Latin name for mistletoe. Mistletoe berries were used to make 'birdlime', a sticky substance spread on branches to catch birds. Thus, 'viscosity' became synonymous with stickiness.
Word relationships
- thickness: Thickness is the common term; viscosity is the technical, scientific term.
- fluidity: The ease with which a substance flows.
Commonly confused with
- density: Density is mass per unit volume; viscosity is resistance to flow. Oil is less dense than water but more viscous.
Word family
- viscous (adjective): Having a thick, sticky consistency.
Collocations
- high viscosity
- low viscosity
- increase viscosity
- measure viscosity
Example sentences
- "The chef reduced the balsamic vinegar until it reached a syrupy viscosity." Describing a sauce.
- "Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's resistance to flow." A scientific definition. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Memory hook
Viscosity is like 'viss-co-sticky'. Viscosity: How much a liquid fights against moving.
When not to use
Don't use it for solids; it only applies to fluids or semi-fluids.
Fun facts
- Pitch is so viscous that it appears solid, but it actually flows—an experiment started in 1927 has seen only 9 drops fall in nearly a century.
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.