Liquids

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A substance in a flowable state that maintains a constant volume but adapts to the shape of its surroundings is defined as a fluid
2. Materials that exist in a state capable of flowing and taking the form of their containers, while having defined volumes, are classified as fluids
3. A material that flows easily and conforms to the shape of its container while keeping the same volume

Etymology: Liquids is simply the plural of "liquid," so the story belongs to the singular. The adjective and noun trace back to Latin "liquidus," meaning "fluid, liquid, moist," which came from the verb "liqueō," "to be liquid or fluid." English took the word through Old French "liquide" and Middle English "liquide." The most surprising twist is that "liquid" also names a class of consonants. Linguists use the term for sounds such as "l" and "r," which flow smoothly and are produced with little obstruction of the breath. The Latin phrase "liquida consonans" was a calque of a Greek term, "hugròn súmphōnon," which meant "liquid consonant." Greek grammarians thus applied the sense of flowing to speech sounds. This doublet of "liquidus" shows how one Latin source can yield two English forms, one inherited through French and one taken more directly from Latin.

Synonyms: fluids, solutions, substances, liquefied, oils

Antonyms: solids, gases, dry, hard, rigid