Word of the Day – Lixiviate

Lixiviate (verb) (chemistry) (archaic)

lik-siv-ee-ayt

Separate (a substance) into soluble and insoluble constituents by the percolation of liquid.

Mid 17th century: from modern Latin lixiviat- ‘impregnated with lye’, from the verb lixiviare, from lixivius ‘made into lye’, from lix ‘lye’.

Example sentences

“You had to lixiviate the wood with water to extract the dye.”