diluent

noun

dil·​u·​ent ˈdil-yə-wənt 

-yü-ənt

: a diluting agent (such as the vehicle in a medicinal preparation)

Examples of diluent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dealers began cutting heroin with cheap diluents and then adding fentanyl—which is less expensive and more potent than other opioids—to raise the strength of the mixture before selling it as heroin. —Keith Humphreys, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018

To create your own at home, substitute broth for the water or whatever diluent your recipe calls for. —Christina Montoya Fiedler, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 June 2023

The leak released about 30 barrels of diluent — used to dilute thick petroleum products for transport — into soil surrounding the line. —Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2022

Over-the-counter antigen tests from manufacturers including Abbott Labs and Quidel contain a diluent that users are instructed to mix with a sample collected from a nasal swab. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin diluent-, diluens, present participle of diluere

First Known Use

circa 1721, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for diluent

• confluent
• eluent
• pursuant
• fluent
• suant
• truant

Medical Definition

diluent

1 of 2 noun

dil·​u·​ent ˈdil-yə-wənt 

: a diluting agent (as the vehicle in a medicinal preparation)

diluent

2 of 2 adjective

: making thinner or less concentrated by admixture : diluting