adjective
aqueous
AY-kwee-us/ˈeɪkwiəs/
Containing or based on water, especially as a solvent.
Salt dissolves in the beaker to form an aqueous solution.
Etymology
The water root gives the adjective its sense of being watery or water-based. Its original English use named the eye's watery fluid; the formation may have followed French 'watery' or Latin 'earthy'.
In context
the gastric juice coming from the stomach the liver secretes something known as bile and bile is important for helping to emulsify lipids helping to make lipids suspended in a aqueous solution in the watery solution
More examples
- The dye is supplied in an aqueous mixture.
- The experiment compares aqueous and oil-based preparations.
- An aqueous solvent forms the basis of the solution.
Similar words
- watery
- May suggest thinness or dilution rather than water as solvent.
- water-based
- The plainer equivalent for mixtures whose main medium is water.