What does evaporated mean?
"Evaporated" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "evaporate," describing what happens when a liquid turns into vapor and disperses into the air — as when puddles dry in the sun or a kettle steams away its contents. It is equally at home in figurative contexts: confidence, wealth, opportunities, and even entire fortunes can be said to have evaporated when they vanish gradually and leave little trace behind. In the kitchen, the adjective form is best known from "evaporated milk," a shelf-stable product made by gently removing about sixty percent of milk's water content, distinct from sugar-sweetened condensed milk. The word carries a neutral tone but its figurative uses often suggest quiet, effortless disappearance rather than dramatic loss. Rooted in Latin "vapor" (steam), it remains one of the most versatile words for describing both physical transformation and intangible loss.
Past tense and past participle of evaporate; (of a liquid) turned into vapor and dispersed, or (of something abstract) vanished or disappeared.
"The rainwater evaporated within hours of the storm passing."
(Of milk) concentrated by the removal of water through heating; reduced in volume by evaporation.
"She stirred a can of evaporated milk into the fudge mixture."
Almost always found in the fixed phrase 'evaporated milk'; rarely used as a standalone adjective.
Evaporated milk was once called 'unsweetened condensed milk' — but unlike its sweetened cousin, it's simply milk with about 60% of its water removed by heat.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of evaporated
Evaporated derives from the Latin verb evaporare, formed from ex- ('out of') plus vapor ('steam, vapor'), meaning literally 'to give off steam.' The word passed into English via post-classical Latin in the late 16th century, initially as a scientific and medical term for the conversion of liquid into vapor. Its figurative sense of disappearing or vanishing developed naturally from this physical meaning. It shares its root with related English words including vapor, vaporous, and evaporation.
Related word forms
How evaporated is actually used
The figurative sense — hopes, savings, or support that 'evaporated' — is very common in journalism and everyday speech, often implying something lost quickly or without trace. The adjective form appears chiefly in the fixed phrase 'evaporated milk'. Register is neutral across all senses.