Meaning & use
inspissate
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Meanings
verbtransitiveraretechnical
To make a liquid thicker, especially by removing water or adding a thickening agent.
Grammar: Takes an object: inspissate the solution. Often used in passive: the mixture was inspissated.
Patterns
- inspissate something
- inspissate something by something
The chemist inspissated the solution by gentle heating to concentrate the active ingredient.
The syrup was inspissated until it reached the desired consistency.
In older medical texts, doctors would inspissate certain herbal extracts to make them easier to apply.
verbintransitiveraretechnical
To become thicker or more viscous.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'into': the liquid inspissated into a gel.
Patterns
- inspissate into something
The resin inspissated into a sticky, semi-solid mass over time.
As the water evaporated, the remaining fluid inspissated into a thick paste.
Word forms
| third person singular | inspissates |
|---|---|
| past tense | inspissated |
| past participle | inspissated |
| -ing form | inspissating |
Common combinations
- inspissated bile
- The doctor noted inspissated bile in the patient's gallbladder.
- inspissated mucus
- Inspissated mucus can block the airways in cystic fibrosis.
- inspissate by evaporation
- The laboratory technique involves inspissating the sample by evaporation.
- inspissated juice
- The recipe called for inspissated juice, a thick syrup made from concentrated fruit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thicken
- Much more common and general; use 'thicken' in everyday speech, and 'inspissate' only in technical writing.
- condense
- Focuses on reducing volume, often by removing water, but can also mean making more concise; 'inspissate' specifically means making thicker.
- coagulate
- Means to change from liquid to semi-solid, often by clotting; 'inspissate' is about thickening, not necessarily clotting.
Opposites
Word family
- inspissation noun
- The process of thickening or becoming thick.
- inspissated adjective
- Thickened; used especially in medical descriptions.
Commonly confused: inspissate or insinuate?
inspissate vs insinuate
Sounds somewhat similar but means to suggest something indirectly; not related to thickening.
Practice
The lab technician ___ the liquid by boiling off some water, making it more viscous.
Choose one answer.
'Inspissated' means thickened, which fits the context of making a liquid more viscous by removing water. 'Insinuated' means hinted indirectly; 'instigated' means started or provoked; 'insulated' means protected or isolated — none of these fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inspissate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.