Liquidy

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the flowing, runny quality of a liquid ; moving or sounding smoothly and fluidly, as if poured
2. Resembling a liquid in consistency or appearance ; flowing with an easy, unbroken smoothness in motion or sound
3. Having the consistency or look of a liquid, often wet, watery or glistening ; moving with a graceful, unhurried flow

Etymology: "Liquidy" is simply "liquid" with the English suffix "-y" added, and the suffix is the more interesting part of the story. "-y" comes from Old English "-ig," which turned "-ig" into "-y" in Middle English, and that same ending sits behind plenty of everyday adjectives such as "milky," "sandy," and "stony," all describing something that has a quality of the base noun. Adding "-y" to a noun like this is a productive habit of English rather than a one-off coinage, so the word follows the familiar pattern of describing things that have a little of a substance about them. "Liquid" itself came into English through Middle English from Old French "liquide," which in turn came from Latin "liquidus," meaning "fluid" or "clear." The Latin word grew from "liquere," "to be fluid," which is an ancestor of the verb "liquefy" and its relatives. The adjective "liquidy" therefore stacks two layers: a Latin root for flowing, and a Germanic suffix that turns the idea into a texture.