Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Hygroscopic
/ˌhaɪɡrə(ʊ)ˈskɒpɪk/adjective
Tending to absorb moisture from the surrounding air.
The Greek roots
ὑγρός
hygrós
wet, moist
σκοπεῖν
skopeîn
to look at, observe
Literally: “moisture-watching”
The story of the word
The adjective is older than its current meaning. A hygroscope was an instrument that revealed changes in humidity, often using a strand of hair or a length of gut that swelled and shrank, and hygroscopic first described anything that behaved that way. It then slid from indicating moisture to attracting it. Note the ὑγρός here is wet, not the ὑγιής behind hygiene, which is health.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → scientific coinage → English
- First recorded
- 18th century
Same family
hygrometerhydro-telescopemicroscope
In a sentence
Salt is hygroscopic enough to clog a shaker in a damp kitchen.
Store the powder sealed, since it is strongly hygroscopic.