Entry · Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Plate N. A glass of water thickened to nectar consistency. It holds its shape where ordinary water would have moved on.
Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash
Thick Water
/THIK WAH-ter/ n.- 1. A pre-thickened drinking water formulated for individuals with dysphagia, sold in nectar, honey, and pudding consistencies per the IDDSI framework. Drunk slowly. Reviewed with respect.
- 2. colloq. Water that finally got around to it.
In a sentence,
"The speech-language pathologist nodded at the 46-oz tub of thiccc Thick-It on the bedside tray and noted, for the chart, that the patient was now safely hydrating at Nectar consistency."
Etymology,
Thickened (Middle English thikne, 'to become dense') applied to drinking water in the late 20th century when speech-language pathology codified dysphagia management. The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) added formal Levels 1, 2, 3, 4 in 2017. The Thiccctionary recognizes all four levels. Pudding is the thiccccest.