viscous

First attested in 1605. Borrowed from Middle French visqueux and Late Latin viscōsus, from Latin viscum (“birdlime”). Doublet of viscose.

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɪs.kəs/

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• Homophone: viscus
• Rhymes: -ɪskəs

viscous (comparative more viscous, superlative most viscous)

2. Having a thick, sticky consistency between solid and liquid (that is, a high viscosity).

   Synonyms: syrupy, viscid, viscose, thickflowing

   Antonym: inviscid

   • 2014 December 23, Olivia Judson, “The hemiparasite season [print version: Under the hemiparasite, International New York Times, 24–25 December 2014, page 7]”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 23 December 2014:

     […] The flesh [of the mistletoe berry] is sticky, and forms strings and ribbons between my thumb and forefinger. For the mistletoe, this viscous goop – and by the way, viscous comes to English from viscum – is crucial. The stickiness means that, after eating the berries, birds often regurgitate the seeds and then wipe their bills on twigs – leading to the seeds' getting glued to the tree, where they can germinate and begin the cycle anew.

4. (physics) Of or pertaining to viscosity.

Borrowed from Late Latin viscōsus, from Latin viscum.

viscous m (oblique and nominative feminine singular viscouse)

1. viscous (of a liquid, thick; tending to flow slowly)

• Middle French: visqueux
  • French: visqueux
  • → English: viscous

• viscous on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub