Mucid

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈmjuːsɪd/

Definitions

1. Displaying a moist and often slimy aspect that indicates rot
2. Exhibiting a wet, slippery coating suggestive of decay or decomposition
3. Showing a texture that is damp and covered in a film resembling mold or slime

Etymology: Latin "mucidus" meant "musty" or "mouldy," and it grew from "mucus," the slimy substance itself. So the English adjective carries its bodily origin with it: something mucid is damp in the way a nasal discharge is wet and sticky, though the film it describes is usually mould or slime on a surface. The Latin root "mucus" links to a whole family of words about slipperiness and moisture. The Proto-Indo-European ancestor of "mucus" is reconstructed as *(s)mewk-, a root that also produced words for dripping and wetness, and the same ancient idea of slickness shows up in the related English word "moist." English borrowed "mucid" directly from Latin, so the word arrived with its classical sense of decay intact.

Synonyms: moldy, fungous

Antonyms: fresh, clean