visose

Visose is an English adjective of rare use that denotes a viscous, sticky, or resinous quality. It appears mainly in older or technical texts rather than in modern scientific writing, and its precise meaning can vary with context. In contemporary science, the more common descriptors are viscous, viscid, or resinous. The term derives from the Latin viscōsus, related to other -ose adjectives formed to describe texture or consistency.

In historical botanical and mineralogical literature, visose has been used to characterize substances, tissues, or surfaces that exhibit stickiness or gummy resin-like characteristics. Because the term is infrequently used today, many modern glossaries do not include it; when it appears, it is typically as a synonym or near-synonym of viscous or resinous, with interpretation guided by surrounding description.

The usage is largely confined to archival texts, dictionaries of scientific terms, or discussions of historical classification. For those encountering the word, it is advisable to substitute more common terms to avoid ambiguity. Some writers treat visose as a broad umbrella for sticky characteristics, while others use it more narrowly, depending on the discipline and the era of the source.

See also: viscous, viscosity, viscid, resinous.