WORD OF THE DAY

To deliquesce is to melt away or become liquid. On a very hot and humid day, a dish of salt left on the counter will begin to deliquesce, slowly dissolving into a pool of moisture.

In scientific terms, a substance deliquesces when it absorbs so much water from the atmosphere that it begins to dissolve. Many different things deliquesce, including certain salts and plants, gradually becoming damp or mushy and eventually melting away completely. You can also use this word in a joking or figurative way whenever you're really sweaty: "It's so hot out here I'm starting to deliquesce!" Deliquesce is from the Latin deliquescere, "to melt away."