viscous

Etymology

First attested in 1605. Borrowed from Middle French visqueux and Late Latin viscōsus, from Latin viscum (“birdlime”). Doublet of viscose.

adj

1. Having a thick, sticky consistency between solid and liquid.
   […] The flesh [of the mistletoe berry] is sticky, and forms strings and ribbons between my thumb and forefinger. For the mistletoe, this viscous goop – and by the way, viscous comes to English from viscum – is crucial. The stickiness means that, after eating the berries, birds often regurgitate the seeds and then wipe their bills on twigs – leading to the seeds' getting glued to the tree, where they can germinate and begin the cycle anew. 23 December 2014, Olivia Judson, “The hemiparasite season [print version: Under the hemiparasite, International New York Times, 24–25 December 2014, page 7]”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2014-12-23
2. (physics) Of or pertaining to viscosity.