deliquescent

I think this will be the last of my Satanic Verses posts. Towards the end of the book, Rushdie uses the word 'deliquescent' twice. What I substitute in in somthing like 'languid' or 'limp'. Let's see how close I get.

deliquesce:

To melt away or to disappear as if by melting.

deliquescent:

Relating to a solid substance that absorbs moisture from the air and becomes liquid.


Generally, I'm close to the target, but why didn't I hear the 'liquid' in that word?