Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Readily absorbing moisture, as from the atmosphere.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining to the hygroscope; perceptible or capable of being detected only by the hygroscope.
  • Having the property of absorbing moisture from the atmosphere, as hygroscopic tissue, or of becoming coated with a film of moisture.
  • In botany, sensitive to moisture; caused by moisture; moving when moistened and then dried, as the elaters of Equisetum or the peristome of mosses.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to, or indicated by, the hygroscope; not readily manifest to the senses, but capable of detection by the hygroscope.
  • adjective Having the property of readily inbibing moisture from the atmosphere, or of the becoming coated with a thin film of moisture, as glass, etc.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective physics, chemistry Readily taking up and retaining water, especially from the atmosphere.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective absorbing moisture (as from the air)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

hygro- + -scopic

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