deliquesce

[ del-i-kwes ]

/ ˌdɛl ɪˈkwɛs /

to become liquid by absorbing moisture from the air, as certain salts.

to melt away.

Botany. to form many small divisions or branches.

Origin of deliquesce

1750–60; < Latin dēliquēscere to become liquid, equivalent to dē- de- + liquēscere; see liquescent

And all the substances which this acid unites with crystallize, and do not deliquesce.

Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry |Joseph Priestley
This feebler cohesive force renders it apt to deliquesce, especially if there be a small excess of the alkali.

A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines |Andrew Ure
The plant at the extreme right has expanded and begun to deliquesce.

The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise |M. E. Hard
The gills are free, flesh-colored, and inclined to deliquesce.

The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise |M. E. Hard

In this figure one can see the change in color of the gills just at the time when they begin to deliquesce.

Studies of American Fungi. Mushrooms, Edible, Poisonous, etc. |George Francis Atkinson

deliquesce

/ (ˌdɛlɪˈkwɛs) /

(esp of certain salts) to dissolve gradually in water absorbed from the air

(esp of certain fungi) to dissolve into liquid, usually at maturity

(of a plant stem) to form many branches

C18: from Latin dēliquēscere to melt away, become liquid, from de- + liquēscere to melt, from liquēre to be liquid