What does exsiccate mean?
"Exsiccate" is a formal verb meaning to remove moisture from something entirely — to dry it out thoroughly. It applies both transitively, when an agent dries a substance or specimen, and intransitively, when a material loses its own moisture over time. Botanists speak of exsiccated plant specimens pressed into herbarium sheets, while writers may use it figuratively for anything drained of vitality or fluidity. The word derives from the Latin "exsiccare", formed from "ex-" ('out') and "siccare" ('to dry'), making it a direct sibling of the far more common "desiccate", which shares the same root. Because it belongs largely to technical and literary registers, "exsiccate" lends a precise, scholarly tone; using it where plain "dry" would do can seem affected, but in botanical, archaeological, or historical description it conveys exactness that simpler synonyms lack.
verbTo remove moisture from something thoroughly; to dry out completely.
- To remove all moisture from something; to make completely dry.
- (Of organic matter) to lose moisture and shrivel or become dried up.
"The desert wind exsiccated the clay tablets within hours of their excavation."
"Botanists exsiccate plant specimens by pressing them between sheets of absorbent paper."
"Left uncovered through the long summer, the pond gradually exsiccated until only cracked mud remained."
'Exsiccate' is essentially 'desiccate' in a dinner jacket — same Latin root meaning 'to dry up', but rare enough that even seasoned readers often meet it for the first time on a museum label or in an old botanical text.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exsiccate
"Exsiccate" comes from the Latin verb "exsiccare", meaning 'to dry out thoroughly', formed from the prefix "ex-" ('out') and "siccare" ('to dry'), itself rooted in the Latin adjective "siccus" ('dry'). English adopted the word in the early modern period, alongside its close cognate "desiccate" (from Latin "de-" plus the same root), which has since become the dominant form. The shared root also yields the adjective "siccative", describing substances such as drying oils that promote drying.
Word family
Usage notes
"Exsiccate" is formal, literary, or technical register; it appears chiefly in botany, museology, and older scientific prose. In general writing, "desiccate" or simply "dry out" is preferred. The noun "exsiccation" is correspondingly rare.
Don't confuse with
Both mean 'to dry thoroughly' and share the same Latin root, but 'desiccate' is far more common in everyday and scientific use, while 'exsiccate' is a rarer, more technical synonym.