inspissate

inspissate — verb

  • inspissatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • inspissates3rd person singular
  • inspissating-ing form
  • inspissatedpast simple

1. to cause a liquid or semi-liquid substance to become denser and more viscous, so

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

to cause a liquid or semi-liquid substance to become denser and more viscous, so that it flows much less easily than before — used in cooking, medicine, chemistry, and literary descriptions.

例句

Pedro inspissated the mushroom sauce with a spoonful of flour over a low flame.

inspissate + object + with [ingredient]

Dr. Baraka warned that dry cabin air can inspissate the blood and strain the heart.

can inspissate [body fluid] (medical context)

同義詞
  • thicken

    The everyday neutral equivalent; preferred in all informal and most formal contexts.

  • condense

    Suggests a change from gas to liquid or a concentration that removes water, rather than a simple increase in viscosity.

  • concentrate

    Emphasises reducing volume or increasing strength, not just thickness; common in chemistry and cooking.

  • coagulate

    Implies a chemical change from liquid to semi-solid state (e.g. blood clotting); more specific than 'inspissate'.

反義詞
  • thin

    To make less viscous by adding liquid.

  • dilute

    To reduce concentration or strength by adding water or another liquid.

文法句型

inspissate + object

用法筆記

This is a very formal or literary word; in everyday English, 'thicken' is the normal choice. Common in medical writing (about blood, mucus, or bodily fluids) and in descriptive prose (about fog, smoke, or darkness). The intransitive form ('the fog inspissated') is rare but attested; the transitive form ('inspissate the sauce') is more widely recognised.

常見錯誤

❌I inspissated the soup with too much salt.
✅I thickened the soup with too much salt.
💡'inspissate' is too formal for everyday cooking; use 'thicken' in casual speech.
❌The glue inspissated in the bottle.
✅The glue thickened in the bottle.
💡everyday intransitive use sounds unnatural; use 'thicken' instead. In literary or technical prose, however, figurative intransitive use ('the fog inspissated') is occasionally found and is acceptable.