liq·uid / ˈlikwid/ • adj. 1. having a consistency like that of water or oil, i.e., flowing freely but of constant volume. ∎  having the clear shimmer of water: looking into those liquid dark eyes. ∎  denoting a substance normally a gas that has been liquefied by cold or pressure: liquid oxygen. ∎  not fixed or stable; fluid.2. (of a sound) clear, pure, and flowing; harmonious: the liquid song of the birds.3. Phonet. (of a consonant) produced by allowing the airstream to flow over the sides of the tongue, typically l and r, and able to be prolonged like a vowel.4. (of assets) held in cash or easily converted into cash. ∎  having ready cash or liquid assets. ∎  (of a market) having a high volume of activity.• n. 1. a liquid substance: drink plenty of liquids.2. Phonet. a liquid consonant.DERIVATIVES: liq·uid·ly adv. liq·uid·ness n.

liquid adj. neither solid nor gaseous XIV; (of air, sound, light) pure, clear XVI. — L. liquidus, f. liquēre (cf. LIQUOR).
Hence sb. (in phon.) XVI; liquid substance XVIII. So liquidate †make clear, set out clearly XVI; clear off (a debt) XVIII; set out the liabilities of XIX; (after Russ. likvidírovat) wipe out XX. f. pp. stem of medL. liquidāre. liquidation XVI. liquor liquid substance. XIII. ME. lic(o)ur — OF. lic(o)ur (mod. liqueur) — L. liquor, -ōr-, rel. to liquāre liquefy, liquēre be fluid. liqueur in its specific sense was adopted from F. in XVIII.

LIQUID. A term in PHONETICS for a frictionless APPROXIMANT, especially an r- or l-sound. See CONSONANT, L-SOUNDS, R-SOUNDS.

liquid Phase of matter intermediate between a gas and a solid. A liquid substance has a relatively fixed volume but flows to take the shape of its container. A liquid at room temperature, such as water, changes into a vapour (its gaseous state, steam) by heating or into a solid (ice) by cooling.