Guttated

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The state in which droplets or beads of liquid collect on a surface
2. A situation marked by the appearance of small liquid droplets, often caused by moisture release
3. Having many small drops of liquid gathered on a surface, as though perspiring or exuding moisture

Etymology: "Guttated" is a variant spelling of "guttate," an adjective used in botany and medicine for something studded with small drops or spots, as on certain leaves or skin lesions. The word comes from the Latin "gutta," meaning a drop, a word that also gave English "gout" in its older sense of a condition thought to result from humors dripping into the joints. The Latin "guttatus," spotted or speckled like drops, supplies the adjective's form directly. English took the word partly as a direct borrowing from that Latin adjective and partly by building it from "gutta" with the suffix "-ate," which forms adjectives meaning "having or characterized by." The "-ed" ending in "guttated" is simply an alternative adjectival ending attached to the same base, so the two spellings share a single history and meaning.