humidifier
hyoo-MID-ih-fy-ur
/hjuːˈmɪdɪfaɪər/
A device kept in a room or building to increase moisture in the air.
Refers to the appliance itself, which can be a small portable unit or integrated into a central HVAC system.
The story behind the word. Humidifier is built from the Latin 'humidus', meaning moist or wet. The suffix '-fier' comes from 'facere', meaning 'to make'. Thus, a humidifier is quite literally a 'moisture-maker'.
Word relationships
- dehumidifier: A dehumidifier extracts moisture from the air to reduce humidity, whereas a humidifier adds it.
Commonly confused with
- vaporizer: A vaporizer boils water to release hot steam, while a humidifier often uses ultrasonic vibrations or fans to release a cool mist.
Word family
- humid (adjective): Marked by a relatively high level of water vapor in the atmosphere.
- humidify (verb): To make the air more moist.
- humidity (noun): The state or quality of being damp or moist.
Collocations
- cool-mist humidifier
- ultrasonic humidifier
- run a humidifier
- clean the humidifier
Example sentences
- "Running a humidifier in the baby's nursery helped keep the air moist and relieved her dry cough during the winter." Dealing with winter health issues.
- "Tropical houseplants thrive when placed near a humidifier, as they require high levels of atmospheric moisture to survive." Caring for indoor plants.
Memory hook
Think of a hot, 'humid' summer day. A humidifier is a machine that recreates that humidity (minus the heat) in a dry room. Humidifier makes dry air humid.
When not to use
Do not confuse with a dehumidifier, which does the exact opposite by removing moisture from the air.
Fun facts
- Dry air can actually damage wooden musical instruments like violins and guitars, which is why museum instrument galleries always run heavy-duty humidifiers.
Related words
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