Adjacent Words

dehydration definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: dryness resulting from the removal of water [syn: dehydration, desiccation]
2: depletion of bodily fluids
3: the process of extracting moisture [syn: dehydration, desiccation, drying up, evaporation]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1854 the process of dehydrating; especially an abnormal depletion of body fluids

Britannica Concise

Method of food preservation in which moisture (primarily water) is removed to inhibit the growth of microorganisms; dehydration also often reduces the bulk of food. It is an ancient practice, used by prehistoric peoples in sun-drying seeds, by N. Amer. Indians in sun-drying meat slices, and by the Japanese in drying fish and rice. It was used to prepare troop rations in World War II, and in recent decades campers and relief agencies have discovered its advantages. Commercial dehydration equipment includes tunnel dryers, kilns, and vacuum dryers. A combination of dehydration and freezing is used in the process of freeze-drying, whereby solid food remains frozen while its liquid escapes as vapor. The dairy industry is one of the largest producers of dehydrated foods, incl. whole milk, skim milk, and eggs. Loss of water, almost always along with salt, from the body, caused by restricted water intake or excessive water loss. Early symptoms of water deprivation are thirst, decreased saliva, and impaired swallowing. (When more electrolytes than water are lost, osmosis pulls water into cells, and there is no thirst.) Later, tissues shrink, incl. the skin and eyes. Mild fever rises as plasma volume and cardiac output decrease, and perspiration decreases or stops, greatly reducing heat loss. Urine output falls, and the kidneys cannot filter wastes from the blood. Irreversible shock can occur at this point. The cause of dehydration is treated first; then water and electrolytes must be given in the correct proportions. Method of food preservation in which moisture (primarily water) is removed to inhibit the growth of microorganisms; dehydration also often reduces the bulk of food. It is an ancient practice, used by prehistoric peoples in sun-drying seeds, by N. Amer. Indians in sun-drying meat slices, and by the Japanese in drying fish and rice. It was used to prepare troop rations in World War II, and in recent decades campers and relief agencies have discovered its advantages. Commercial dehydration equipment includes tunnel dryers, kilns, and vacuum dryers. A combination of dehydration and freezing is used in the process of freeze-drying, whereby solid food remains frozen while its liquid escapes as vapor. The dairy industry is one of the largest producers of dehydrated foods, incl. whole milk, skim milk, and eggs. Loss of water, almost always along with salt, from the body, caused by restricted water intake or excessive water loss. Early symptoms of water deprivation are thirst, decreased saliva, and impaired swallowing. (When more electrolytes than water are lost, osmosis pulls water into cells, and there is no thirst.) Later, tissues shrink, incl. the skin and eyes. Mild fever rises as plasma volume and cardiac output decrease, and perspiration decreases or stops, greatly reducing heat loss. Urine output falls, and the kidneys cannot filter wastes from the blood. Irreversible shock can occur at this point. The cause of dehydration is treated first; then water and electrolytes must be given in the correct proportions.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Dehydration De`hy*dra"tion, n. (Chem.) The act or process of freeing from water; also, the condition of a body from which the water has been removed.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

see dehydrate

Moby Thesaurus

air-drying, anhydration, blast-freezing, bottling, brining, canning, corning, curing, dehumidification, desiccation, drainage, dry-curing, drying, drying up, embalming, evaporation, freeze-drying, freezing, fuming, insolation, irradiation, jerking, marination, mummification, pickling, potting, quick-freezing, refrigeration, salting, seasoning, smoking, stuffing, taxidermy, tinning, withering