Definition

The quality or condition of being repellent to water; substances with this property do not mix well with water.

Example

The hydrophobicity of the material makes it ideal for waterproof clothing.

Conversation

I was reading about hydrophobicity in my chemistry book.

Oh really? What did it say about it?

It explained how some substances repel water due to their hydrophobicity.

That makes sense! It must be interesting to see how that works in nature.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Hydrophobicity is formed from "hydro-" (from Greek "hydor", meaning water) and "phobos" (meaning fear) combined with the suffix "-icity" (indicating a quality or state). The term describes the quality of being afraid of or repelling water.

Memory Tip

Think of 'water' ('hydro-') and 'fear' ('phobos') to remember that hydrophobicity refers to the quality of repelling water.

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