Viscosity
/vɪˈskɒs.ɪ.ti/noun
The state or quality of being thick, sticky, and resistant to flow.
Did you know?Viscosity ultimately traces back to Latin *viscum*, “birdlime” or “mistletoe,” a sticky substance once used to trap birds—so the word’s history is literally about something that clings and captures.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weis-
“to flow, melt, or drip”
Latin
Latin
viscum
“birdlime; sticky sap of the mistletoe plant”
Late Latin
Latin
viscosus
“sticky, glutinous”
Old French
Old French
viscosité
“stickiness, glutinous quality”
Middle English
English
viscosite
“stickiness; thickness of a fluid”
Modern English
English
viscosity
“resistance of a fluid to flow”