From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Desiccate \Des"ic*cate\ (?; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Desiccated; p. pr. & vb. n. Desiccating.] [L. desiccatus,
p. p. of desiccare to dry up; de- + siccare to dry, siccus
dry. See Sack wine.]
To dry up; to deprive or exhaust of moisture; to preserve by
drying; as, to desiccate fish or fruit.
[1913 Webster]
Bodies desiccated by heat or age. --Bacon.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Desiccate \Des"ic*cate\, v. i.
To become dry.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
desiccate
adj 1: lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless; "a technically
perfect but arid performance of the sonata"; "a desiccate
romance"; "a prissy and emotionless creature...settles
into a mold of desiccated snobbery"-C.J.Rolo [syn:
arid, desiccate, desiccated]
v 1: preserve by removing all water and liquids from; "carry
dehydrated food on your camping trip" [syn: dehydrate,
desiccate]
2: remove water from; "All this exercise and sweating has
dehydrated me" [syn: dehydrate, desiccate]
3: lose water or moisture; "In the desert, you get dehydrated
very quickly" [syn: exsiccate, dehydrate, dry up,
desiccate] [ant: hydrate]