liquefiable

IPA/lˈɪkwɪfˌaɪəbəl/
IPA/lˈɪkwɪfˌaɪəbəl/

liquefiable — adjective

  • liquefiablepositive
  • more liquefiablecomparative
  • most liquefiablesuperlative

1. able to be changed from a solid or gas into a liquid form, usually by adding hea

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

able to be changed from a solid or gas into a liquid form, usually by adding heat or pressure.

Example

Most metals are liquefiable once the furnace reaches a high enough temperature.

predicate adjective: X is liquefiable when [condition]

The factory cools natural gas until it becomes a clear, easily liquefiable fluid.

collocation: easily liquefiable

Common collocations
  • easily liquefiable
  • liquefiable under pressure
  • liquefiable gas
Synonyms
  • meltable

    more everyday; used of solids softened by heat, not of gases

  • fusible

    technical; specifically of solids that melt, common in metallurgy

Antonyms
  • solid

    describes the unmelted state rather than the capacity to melt

Usage Note

Almost always used in technical writing about gases, metals, or other materials. Frequently paired with an adverb of degree (easily liquefiable) or a condition (liquefiable under pressure).

Common Mistakes

The ice cream was liquefiable in the sun.
The ice cream melted in the sun.
for everyday melting, learners should use 'melt'; 'liquefiable' is a formal label for whether something can be turned to liquid at all.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe something that can turn into a liquid, but they belong to different registers and apply to different materials. 'Meltable' is the everyday choice and is used of solids softened by heat, such as chocolate, butter, or snow. 'Fusible' is a technical term from metalwork and science, used mainly of solids that melt at a known temperature, as in a fusible alloy used in a safety plug. 'Liquefiable' is the broadest and most formal of the three: it covers solids and, importantly, gases that can be turned to liquid by cooling or pressure, as with liquefiable natural gas. A cook would say the butter is meltable; an engineer would call the chilled gas liquefiable.

liquefiable ↗meltable ↗fusible ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • easily liquefiable
  • liquefiable under pressure

Prepositions

  • under (pressure)
  • at (a temperature)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Built from the verb 'liquefy' plus the ending '-able', which marks something as capable of undergoing the action. 'Liquefy' itself goes back through French to a Latin verb meaning 'to make liquid', formed from the Latin word for a flowing, fluid substance. So the whole word literally means 'able to be made into a flowing substance'.