mu·ci·lage

(myo͞o′sə-lĭj)

1. Any of various viscous, water-soluble polysaccharides produced by certain plants, algae, and microorganisms.

2. A sticky substance used as an adhesive.

[Middle English muscilage, from Old French mucilage, from Late Latin mūcilāgō, mūcilāgin-, from Latin mūcēre, to be moldy, musty, from mūcus, mucus.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

mucilage

(ˈmjuːsɪlɪdʒ)

1. (Elements & Compounds) a sticky preparation, such as gum or glue, used as an adhesive

2. (Biochemistry) a complex glutinous carbohydrate secreted by certain plants

[C14: via Old French from Late Latin mūcilāgo mouldy juice; see mucid]

mucilaginous adj

ˌmuciˈlaginously adv

ˌmuciˈlaginousness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mu•ci•lage

(ˈmyu sə lɪdʒ)

n.

1. any of various, usu. liquid, preparations of gum, glue, or the like, used as an adhesive.

2. a gummy or gelatinous substance present in plants.

[1350–1400; < Middle French musillage < Late Latin mūcilāgō a musty juice, akin to Latin mūcēre to be musty]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	mucilage - a gelatinous substance secreted by plants gum - any of various substances (soluble in water) that exude from certain plants; they are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying
	2.	mucilage - cement consisting of a sticky substance that is used as an adhesive glue, gum animal glue - a protein gelatin obtained by boiling e.g. skins and hoofs of cattle and horses casein glue - made from casein; used for e.g. plywood and cabinetwork fish glue - gelatinous substance obtained by boiling skins fins and bones of fish marine glue - glue that is not water soluble cement - something that hardens to act as adhesive material

Translations

mucilage

[ˈmjuːsɪlɪdʒ] N → mucílago m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

mucilage

[ˈmjuːsɪlɪdʒ] n → mucillagine f

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

That ninny of a Sara Ray brought up a bottle of mucilage instead of Judy's curling-fluid, and Cecily put her hair up with THAT.

Eventually they got all the mucilage washed out of it and Cecily spent the remainder of the forenoon sitting before the open oven door in the hot kitchen drying her ill-used tresses.

She didn't mean to bring me mucilage. It's really all my own fault, I know.

View in context

And when I desired honey I only desired bait, and sweet mucus and mucilage, for which even the mouths of growling bears, and strange, sulky, evil birds, water:

View in context

But the air was sticky like mucilage, and the weight of it seemed to burden the lungs and make breathing difficult.

View in context

Those childhood favourites mustard and cress are not, however, suitable for sprouting in containers because their seed coats produce slimy mucilage.

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The loss, of course, represents but a mere drop in the ocean to Abramovich, a man who constantly looks as though he's mistakenly just swallowed his own nasal mucilage.

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The existence of genetic diversity regarding mucilage content and properties is necessary to improve this trait by breeding.

Variation of mucilage in flax seed and its relationship with other seed characters

It contains an extract of marshmallow called mucilage which loosens and helps eliminate phlegm.

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To explore potential water-purifying applications, the scientists investigated the cactus' mucilage, the thick, gooey substance that enables the plant to store large amounts of water.

Cactus too purifies water

He describes microbial diversity and freshwater ecosystems, including the food web in lentic and lotic systems; freshwater environments such as lakes, wetlands, streams, rivers, and estuaries and adverse and extreme environments within them; algae, including its taxonomy, molecular characterization, size, shape, surface mucilage, activities, and strategies for survival.

Freshwater Microbiology: Biodiversity and Dynamic Iteractions of Microorganisms in the Freshwater Environment