a. Forms: 5–7 viscouse, 6 vyscous, 6– viscous; 6 vys-, viscus. [a. AF. viscous (Gower), or ad. L. viscōsus (cf. VISCOSE a.), f. viscum (also viscus) mistletoe, birdlime made from mistletoe-berries. Cf. F. visquieux, It., Sp., Pg. viscoso.]
1. Of substances: Having a glutinous or gluey character. Cf. VISCID a. 1.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 33. Senewis bi kynde ben neische & viscouse.
1533. Elyot, Cast. Helthe (1541), 8 b. Flewme,… thycke, viscouse lyke byrde lyme and heuy.
1542. Boorde, Dyetary, xii. (1870), 264. The whyte of an egge is viscus and colde. Ibid. (1547), Brev. Health, § 207. By eatynge of euyl & vyscus meates & euyl drinkes.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, 721. The fruit is … of a viscus or clammie substance.
1605. Timme, Quersit., I. x. 39. He cast up from his stomacke all impurity, tough and viscous.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., I. 52. A Nitt is an Egge glewed by some viscous matter to the sides of the hair it sticks to.
1686. Goad, Celest. Bodies, I. xviii. 120. Gossamere … is nothing else but the viscous misty vapour, furled up by the warm alteration of the Air.
1718. J. Chamberlayne, Relig. Philos., I. xix. § 3. A viscous Liquor like Turpentine.
1756. C. Lucas, Ess. Waters, I. 37. Some sustain, that the Chaos, mentioned in the sacred and prophane histories of the creation, was a mass of a certain kind or viscous or mucous water.
1822. Imison, Sci. & Art, I. 107. Water and Mercury may be considered as among the most perfect fluids. Others as oil &c. are viscous or imperfect fluids.
1859. W. H. Gregory, Egypt, II. 72. The rocky walls were black and sticky, and seemed to sweat a thick, fatty, viscous liquor.
1897. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., II. 800. The blood drawn during life is dark and viscous.
transf. 1899. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., VI. 158. Contact with the abnormal surface sets up an immediate viscous metamorphosis of the platelets.
b. Physics. Imperfectly fluid; intermediate between solid and fluid; adhesively soft. Also used with abstract sbs. (as state, etc.).
(a) 1847. Whewell, Hist. Induct. Sci. (ed. 2), XVIII. III. 683. The ice of a glacier is … supposed to be a plastic or viscous mass.
1863. Baring-Gould, Iceland, 194. The edges of the molten [lava] stream cooling and resisting the tension of the still viscous centre.
1872. C. King, Mountain. Sierra Nev., xii. 261. The water converted into steam, blew up the viscous rock in such forms as we find.
1880. Times, 1 Dec., 10/6. His researches on tidal retardation from the action of a satellite on a viscous planet.
(b) 1830. Herschel, Study Nat. Phil., 223. The solid, liquid, and aëriform state, to which, perhaps, ought to be added the viscous, as a state intermediate between that of solidity and fluidity.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., viii. (1856), 57. Forbes’ beautifully simple views of a viscous movement.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., II. xvi. 31. The inquiry as to what Professor Forbes really meant when he propounded the viscous theory. Ibid. (1863), Heat, ii. § 34 (1870), 36. The viscous character of the space between the poles instantly disappears.
2. fig. Adhesive, sticky.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. xxiii. § 33. 100. These graue solemne wittes … haue more dignity then fœlicity: But in some it is nature to bee somewhat viscouse and inwrapped, and not easie to turne.
1660. in Harl. Misc. (1809), I. 276. Our magistracy and judicatures … have … been intrusted in such viscous and birdlimed fingers.
3. Bot. Of leaves: = VISCID a. 2.
1712. trans. Pomet’s Hist. Drugs, I. 37. Leaves, like those of Linseed, but … more viscous.
1857. A. Gray, First Less, Bot., Gloss., Viscous,… having a glutinous surface.
Hence Viscously adv.
1878. Abney, Photogr., 55. Note if the collodion flows freely, viscously, or lumpily.
