desséché

Desséché is a French adjective meaning dried up or desiccated. It describes substances or conditions that have lost moisture through evaporation or dehydration, or that have been intentionally dried. The term can be applied to organic matter such as plant material or meat, to soils and air in arid environments, and to objects that have become dry with time. In dermatology, it can refer to dry skin or mucous membranes; in climate and agricultural contexts, a landscape or soil may be described as desséché when drought or heat has reduced moisture.

Origin and forms: The adjective is derived from the verb dessécher, which itself comes from des- plus sécher. Its ultimate origin lies in Latin desiccare, from siccus meaning dry. The masculine form is desséché, the feminine is desséchée, and the plural forms are desséchés and desséchées.

Usage in specific domains: In botany and herbarium work, "plantes desséchées" are dried specimens prepared for preservation by pressing and desiccation. In food descriptions, desséché may appear in older or more literary contexts for desiccated foods, but "séché" is more common in contemporary usage. The term is also used to describe dry skin or hands, e.g., peau desséchée, and dry or cracked soil in drought conditions, e.g., sol desséché or terrain desséché. In scientific contexts, the corresponding process is described as desiccation.