wetted

Wetted is the past participle of wet and an adjective used to describe something that has been moistened or is in contact with a liquid. The term can refer to objects, surfaces, or regions that have come into contact with water or another fluid.

In physics and surface science, wetting describes how a liquid spreads on a solid surface. It depends on interfacial tensions and surface energy, and is commonly characterized by a contact angle. Complete wetting yields a negligible contact angle; partial wetting yields a finite angle. Surface roughness, chemistry, and temperature influence it.

In engineering, wetted areas and wetted perimeters are used to describe the portion of a body’s surface that is in contact with fluid, affecting drag, heat transfer, and corrosion. For ships, the wetted surface influences hydrodynamic drag; for pipes and channels, the wetted perimeter enters calculations of friction losses and flow resistance.

Other contexts include microfluidics, where wetted components are those that contact the working liquid, and coatings, where good wetting affects adhesion. In environmental and agricultural contexts, soil or substrates are described as wetted after rainfall or irrigation, indicating moisture presence that affects infiltration and plant uptake.