noun

desiccation

des-ih-KAY-shun/ˌdesɪˈkeɪʃn/

The process or state of drying out thoroughly.

The leaf's desiccation turns it from fresh green to curled, brown, and brittle.

A clean three-stage observational still life across the white ground shows one small green leaf freshly picked at left, the same leaf curled and shriveling in the middle, and the same leaf fully brown and brittle at right beside a few dry fragments.

Etymology

deLatinthoroughly

+siccatLatindry, make dry

+ionLatinact or process

The drying verb is intensified to mean “make very dry,” and the noun ending names that action. Desiccation is therefore the process of thoroughly removing moisture.

In context

Performance Pain and Sports Medicine4:06

disc desiccation is a common condition characterized by the drying out and degeneration of the intervertebral discs in the spine.

Disc Desiccation: Doctor’s Advice on Causes, Symptoms & Remedies

More examples

Prolonged drought causes severe desiccation of the soil.
Desiccation helps preserve herbs by removing their moisture.
We seal the samples tightly to prevent desiccation.

Forms

desiccate verb — To remove moisture and dry thoroughly.

desiccant noun — A substance that absorbs surrounding moisture.

Similar words

dehydration: Emphasizes water loss, especially from the body or food.
drying: Describes moisture removal without necessarily reaching complete dryness.