anhydrous
Meaning
containing no water, especially water of crystallization.
Structure
Usage
the chemist stored the anhydrous solvent in a sealed container to prevent moisture absorption.
anhydrous ammonia is widely used as an agricultural fertilizer.
the process requires the compound to be completely anhydrous for the reaction to proceed correctly.
Etymology
the word 'anhydrous' is a scientific term constructed from greek components to precisely describe a chemical state. the prefix 'an-' is a form of 'a-' denoting absence, derived from the greek negative particle. the core root 'hydr-' originates from the greek 'hydōr' (water), which itself traces back to the proto-indo-European root wed- (water, wet). the suffix '-ous', of latin origin, is commonly used in english to form adjectives. thus, the literal combination 'without water' directly and logically yields the modern chemical meaning of a substance lacking water, particularly in its crystalline form.
Analysis
an- (from greek, meaning 'without', 'not'); hydr- (from greek 'hydōr', meaning 'water'); -ous (from latin '-osus', a suffix forming adjectives meaning 'full of' or 'having the qualities of').