humectant

Latin ūmectāns, present participle of ūmectō (“to moisten”), from ūmectus (“moist”), from ūmeō (“to be moist”).

• IPA^(key): /hjuːˈmɛktənt/

humectant (plural humectants)

1. Any substance that promotes the retention of water, especially one used to keep a food product moist.
   • 1911, Hampton's Magazine‎, volume 27, number 1, page 462:

     […] that you have induced a horrid phlegmatic condition with will soon require a liberal and generous humectant to keep the very membranes of your very entrails from desquamating, chipping off and blocking up all the pipes of your body.

   • 1973, Ronald W. James, Desiccants and humectants, page 285:

     The humectant is preferably added at this stage, subsequent to centrifuging, because it increases the viscosity of the slurry. The centrifuged material with the combined humectant is then dried to remove all or most of the water.

   • 2010, Peter Hull, Glucose Syrups: Technology and Applications‎, page 114:

     Sorbitol is an excellent humectant and is used to extend the shelf life of many baked goods and fillings.

humectant

1. present participle of humecter
2. (preceded by en) gerund of humecter

• “humectant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

humectant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of humectō