antifoggant
|an-ti-fog-gant|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈfɑː.ɡənt/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tiˈfɒɡ(ə)nt/
against fog / prevents fogging
Etymology
'antifoggant' originates from the combining form 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') plus English 'fog' (from earlier English forms meaning 'mist' or 'condensation'), with the adjectival/agent suffix '-ant' (from Latin via Old French) meaning 'performing or causing'.
'antifoggant' was formed in modern English by compounding 'anti-' + 'fog' + '-ant', patterned on similar technical formations (e.g. 'antifreeze', 'antibacterial'), and came into use in the 19th–20th century as materials to prevent fogging were developed.
Initially a literal formation meaning 'against fog', it has come to be used both as a noun naming a product (an antifogging agent) and as an adjective describing coatings or treatments that prevent fogging.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a substance or agent applied to surfaces (lenses, goggles, visors, windows) to prevent or reduce condensation (fogging).
He wiped an antifoggant onto his diving mask before the dive.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
preventing or reducing the formation of fog or condensation on a surface; serving as an antifog agent.
The goggles have an antifoggant coating to keep vision clear.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/01 07:15