liquid

Pluralliquids

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A flowing substance whose molecules readily change position without drifting apart, so it keeps no shape of its own but fills whatever container holds it.

   The chemist heated the solid until it melted into a clear liquid.

   Unlike a gas, a liquid keeps a fixed volume even as it changes shape.

   Similarfluid

   Oppositesolid, gas

   Note

   Behind the noun is Latin liquidus, "fluid, moist," from liqueō, "to be liquid." In physical chemistry a liquid is one kind of fluid, the inelastic kind. Gases flow too, but their molecules spread apart, while a liquid's stay together. So every liquid is a fluid, but not every fluid is a liquid. The noun is countable for kinds (liquids that freeze) and uncountable for the stuff itself (a cup of liquid).

2. 2
   adjective

   Flowing freely like water: neither solid nor gaseous, made of particles that shift past one another under the slightest pressure.

   The metal turns liquid only when the furnace reaches a very high temperature.

   She poured the liquid resin into the mold and waited for it to set.

   Similarfluid, molten, runny, liquefied

   Oppositesolid, gaseous

   Note

   Before a noun it names the state a substance is in, as in liquid nitrogen. That phrase describes something usually met as a gas, here cooled until it flows. After a verb (the metal turns liquid) it marks a change of state. Unlike the noun for the substance, the adjective is gradable: more liquid and most liquid describe a thinner or freer flow.

3. 3
   adjective

   Having enough trading activity that buying or selling can be carried out easily and quickly.

   Major currency pairs stay liquid around the clock because traders worldwide are always active.

   The fund holds only liquid securities so it can meet redemptions on short notice.

   Oppositeilliquid

   Note

   Markets are the other thing finance calls liquid. A market is liquid when it is busy enough that a buyer or seller can always find someone on the other side of the trade. The two financial senses are close, and writers slide between them. The noun usually tells you which is meant: a liquid market describes trading activity, while a liquid asset describes ease of sale.

4. 4
   adjective

   Able to be sold or turned into cash easily and quickly without a drop in value.

   Cash and money-market funds are the most liquid holdings in the portfolio.

   Real estate is far less liquid than shares, since selling a house can take months.

   Oppositeilliquid

   Note

   Finance applies it first to assets. Cash sits at the top of the scale, and a house sits far down it. The real test is selling without losing value: an asset that can be sold quickly only at a discount is not liquid in this sense. The word is freely gradable (the most liquid holdings). Keep it distinct from the sense for markets, which describes how much trading goes on rather than the thing being sold.

5. 5
   adjective

   Moving or sounding in a smooth, flowing way, free of abrupt transitions or harsh tones.

   The cellist drew a liquid tone from the instrument that seemed to pour through the hall.

   His prose has a liquid rhythm that glides from sentence to sentence.

   Similarfluid, flowing, smooth, mellifluous

   Oppositeharsh, choppy, jerky

6. 6
   adjective

   Having a clear, transparent, watery appearance.

   Dawn spread a liquid light across the still surface of the lake.

   The gemstone glowed with a liquid transparency under the lamp.

   Similarclear, limpid, transparent, translucent

   Oppositeopaque, cloudy, murky

7. 7
   nouncountable

   A consonant sound belonging to a class that includes the sounds 'l' and 'r'.

   Children learning to speak often substitute one liquid for another, saying 'wabbit' for 'rabbit'.

   In this dialect the two liquids merge into a single sound.

   Note

   The name is a loan translation. Latin liquida (cōnsōnāns) renders the Greek grammarians' hugròn sýmphōnon, "liquid consonant." Linguists usually use it in the plural, alongside other sound classes such as labials and sibilants. Adrian Room (1996) suggests that names rich in liquids tend to sound pleasant. Ingo Plag (1999) observes that the suffix -able does not attach to verbs ending in a consonant followed by a liquid.

8. 8
   adjective

   Belonging to the class of consonants made up of the laterals and the rhotics, such as l and r, which behave alike in many languages.

   Japanese has a single liquid consonant where English distinguishes two, l and r.

   Phonologists group the liquid consonants 'l' and 'r' with the most vowel-like sounds.

   Note

   Phonology groups laterals (the l sounds) and rhotics (the r sounds) under one label because they pattern alike in many languages. The adjective appears mostly in the phrase liquid consonant. It shares its Greek-derived name with the noun for these sounds, and the two are interchangeable in practice: a liquid consonant is simply a liquid.

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